http://www.tv-links.co.uk is a website that (basically) is a master listing site of links to Movies, TV Shows, Cartoons, Anime, Documentaries and Music Video hosted on numerous sites across the web (which include Google, Youtube, Yahoo, Veoh, Gubu, Tudou, and more). Well, I should say WAS a master listing site....

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0, ... e_continue



Ok...first off I will say what the fuck. I tried to rationalize this for two seconds and come to the realization that this is probably one of the most fucked up cases of 'Piracy Enforcement' I've heard of in quite a long time. Basically, this is how FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) was able to nail the owner/operator:

1.) Having links to 'Cam' versions of films (if you're unaware, a Cam version is when some jackass with a camcorder goes into a theater and films the whole movie on the camcorder...then in turn uploads that to a site on the web) on his site, though none of the illegal content was actually hosted ON his site.

2.) Having links to TV Shows (both old and new) which gives you the ability to 'view on demand', though again none of the illegal content was actually hosted ON his site. Miss that last episode of Smallville? Wait about a day and TV Links could point you to the website with the new episode uploaded and ready to watch.

Why do I have a problem with this site getting shut down? Am I pro or anti piracy? To tell you the truth I see this in two different lights.

On the one hand, I can completely understand FACT wanting to go after this guy for having the links to films. While I don't necessarily believe that internet downloading of movies is killing the film industry, I do acknowledge that it is keeping a portion of the profits away from the smaller and more independent studios. Honestly, I don't give two shits if 20th Century Fox gets a piece of the $6.50 matinée ticket. But that doesn't stop the fact that piracy is illegal. Again, I need to point out that the guy did not HOST the content himself....but I'll come back to that.

On the other hand I'm disgusted by the fact that FACT looped the TV Shows (and Cartoons/Anime/Documentaries) into all this. I don't have the time to watch the shows on TV that interest me (and honestly, there aren't many). I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have to cancel my plans just to sit and watch a TV show. More often then not, prior to finding this site I'd have to settle with watching one or two shows and hoping that the ones I missed would be reruns sometime within the next year of so. This site enabled me to catch up on some shows I've missed, and it even allowed me to watch some that I'd never seen before (Frisky Dingo anyone?). The 'Industry' answer to my problem would be one of two things...buy Tivo or buy the show on DVD. To both of those answers I say go fuck yourself. I shouldn't have to pay to watch something that was already free (if you don't count the cost of cable) in the first place. Oh no, I don't get to be bombarded by 20 minutes of commercials about cars I can't afford or fast food I don't eat. Those companies are sure to go bankrupt now that I haven't been lured into their stores by their oh so cleaver advertising. The big issue FACT claims about the TV Shows is the fact that they were available to watch 'on demand' without permission of the studios.....

Hosting. All this guy did was post links to other websites, those other websites were the ones who uploaded the content sent to them. So in other words, according to copyright laws in the UK because the owner/operator of the site posted links to 'OTHER SITES' that actually housed the illegally uploaded material he is just as guilty as they are. I'm fairly sure here in the US the guy would have grounds to fight the charges based on the fact that he wasn't the actual guilty party. Thank God the only good thing to come out of English is Manchester United.

What about the sites that actually host the illegal content? According to the article, this raid was the first in what they think will be many against such sites. But lets be realistic. You think they'll go after Google (one of the sites hosting content)? Google has more money then God and could easily fight this shit off. As for the other sites, who knows. Youtube will probably just crack down on copy written material...Veoh will tell them to fuck off...and Tudou is asian based and I'm fairly sure they won't give a shit.

So if hosting illegal content is such a big deal, why is it that all the torrent sites are STILL operating unmolested? They do the same thing this guy got arrested for...are they not guilty by association like this dude?

Oh well, I need more coffee.

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This is the stupidest thing I have heard in quite some time (Dolalain posts not included).

I don't understand why you have a problem with DVR when every cable/satellite provider has good deals that include DVRs nowadays. Comcast has a nice service called OnDemand that allows you to watch content whenever you want for free, but it's only used by a handful of channels. If it becomes more widespread it would pretty much get rid of the need for downloading TV shows.

If all they did was get rid of the site with links, then why don't you just go to the sites that host the files? You could also try one of the other thousands of better ways to download TV shows for free. I'm all for piracy and stealing internet download files, but it's pretty stupid to complain when the sites get shut down. The only time they even get in trouble is when they get too big and actually represent a worthwhile target (like in this case) or when there is a big leak that causes media outrage or whatever (elitetorrents/star wars ep. 3 in 2005.) There's no reason to throw a fit when you can just google up another website that does the same thing.

what if you got dkp docked cause you just wanted to watch Heroes instead of internet mmorpg raiding. Maybe raid leaders should schedule raids around popular TV shows instead, idk.

So, it's only ok to steal if the company you are stealing from is big. Got it. Can you let me know where the line is? Exactly how small can the company be before it becomes wrong to steal?



This is incredible to me. I don't even know where to start.

Let's pretend Company A was giving away computers at a town 150 miles from you. They give away all different brands of computers, and you only like certain brands. What sucks is, the brands you like are only offered when you are already busy at work. Plus, you don't own a car. Apparently you would be pissed at the company because you are forced to buy a car to go get that computer. Fuck you, companies, for making me buy a car to get that computer. Fuck you, companies, for only offering that free computer I like when I'm at work! I'll just go steal the computer at a different time, and that's ok!

Then, the other part of the equation. You are pissed because you believe you shouldn't have to watch advertising. What the fuck? Do you think everything is handed to you for free in everything in life? Does your mother still provide for you? How do you think these TV shows are "free" in the first place? If everyone could get out of watching advertising, then network television will no longer exist, and cable tv will go dramatically up in price. Already the fact that people are getting out of watching commercials is putting pressure on the current revenue system for TV companies.

It's sad to me that the bulk of your complaints are based on, "wtf everything should be given to me for free, whenever I want it." Be thankful you get it at all, instead of bitching because you can only get it in a certain way.

--- hrmm I see some people beat me to some of these points while I was typing.

comcast's dvr's are shitty :X at least with the current software, I find it often doesn't work correctly and some known fixes via firmware aren't pushed out to the boxes consistently.

What the fuck do they lose by putting up tv shows on sites like that? People are only more likely to watch an ongoing show or buy a DVD because they like the product and want more.

The main thing is, this guy didn't host anything, he just had a collection of links.

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Marauder Harabakc Goat

Oh man, that analogy was terrible. It's like you just took two random subjects and set up parameters just so it'd be in context with what was said. A really long-winded reiteration.

Thanks . The point was still made.

Contrary to popular belief, I actually have a family and a real life outside of the internet and MMOs.



I didn't say I had a problem with DVR/Tivo. Simply put I'm on a limited budget and cannot afford Comcast's Digital Cable with the Ondemand Feature. I pay like $20 for TV (which is basic cable) and its looped in with my DSL package. I don't even have a digital receiver. If I could afford it, this discussion wouldn't even be taking place.



That Droma is my point exactly. Why was this guy arrested and NOT the ones hosting them? I do actually use Veoh to watch a lot of anime and it will be more then easy to find another site...I just find it a bit hypocritical that this guy became the center of a piracy investigation but all the sites seemed to have dodged the bullet.



I didn't say that either. I simply said that I don't care about a huge movie studios profit margins.



You read a little too far into shit you know that? Lets exaggerate a bit more shall we?

Heres an example....Heroes, Monday nights at 9:00 pm PST. I could watch it. However, I have a prior obligation and miss it. If I had a VCR that worked worth a shit and had a timed record function, I could record it. Sadly, I don't (lost the remote for this VCR ages ago). So my options are to either wait until the show is rerun at some point, buy the DVD of the whole reason, hope to god someone else recorded it, or watch it online. Which do you think is the easier option? Now Heroes stands out from the mold because NBC actually puts the new episodes on their website after it airs. IF EVERY other show did this, there would be no reason to complain at all. Because other shows don't, I'm limited to the same options. Again, because I don't already have a DVR of some kind why should I have to shell out the money to watch the show once after its already aired?



No, I'm not pissed about the advertising itself jackass. Merely pointing out the fact that because I watch the show online I don't have to spend another 20 minutes watching commercials and that I'm fairly sure McDonalds and Lexus aren't going to lose out on a whole lot of business from me. The television station has already made its money off the advertising long before the show has even aired so me seeing the commercial is pretty much irrelevant. I don't need an economics lesson on how TV wouldn't exist without advertising and how companies are feeling the pressure from this.

As for your over exaggerated 'Do you think everything in life should be free' and 'Does your mother still provide for you' comments, go fuck yourself. You know me better then that.



Exactly. That is the overall point.

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Posting links to copyrighted content is just as bad as actually providing it directly under the law as I understand it. You're essentially making it available to people without directly distributing it.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

But that's not what you said. You said the companies should "go fuck themselves" because DVR's cost too much. You didn't blame your lack of earning power; you implied that it's the companies who should pony up to give you a DVR for free, since the originally aired show was free.



You make a point here I agree with. But the original post made it sound as though you think NONE of them should be arrested for breaking the law, because you should be able to watch whatever you want, when you want, for free. I think, as long as the law is in place, that ALL of them should be arrested, thus you can see why we would both agree on the seemingly hypocritical nature of the action being done. That said, I (and you) have no way of knowing if this is really the only thing that is going to happen.



But apparently you do need a lesson. Whether you can avoid the commercials is 100% relevant, since it is the guarantee that viewers will see the advertising that makes advertisers willing to pay the big bucks for the ads. If you (and everyone else) can easily avoid the commercials, then TV companies have no negotiating leg to stand on when selling advertising space.







If it's against the law, argue to change the law.

Perhaps you should find a better job so you can spend more than 20 bucks a month on your cable service, rather than complain that the TV stations are at fault for scheduling the programs when it is not convenient for you to watch them (hence, you thinking you have the right to steal the programs). Don't get me wrong, I have nothing wrong with watching pirated/stolen movies and TV shows, or downloading and playing games from Torrent sites, but to complain about the sites getting shut down, or to try to justify your illegal activity is pretty fucking stupid.

VCRs are like 20 dollars these days. Don't be a cheap ass and go buy one. And out of curiosity, what is this "prior engagement" that you have every Monday at 9:00pm?

Reminds me of Tyral. You have a family but your finances are SO tight you can't spare 50$ extra a month? I can understand hard times and all that, but consistently month after month living to a point where you can't afford that, I mean what about when gas prices increase, or one of your tires goes flat on your car, or your kid ruins a pair of his pants and you gotta pick up a new pair?

Heh. ::shakes head IRL::

Neesha has a point. I mean, what the fuck are you doing for a living where you can't afford 50$ a month somewhere? I mean, I know a lot of POOR ass people and even they have 50$ here and there to throw around on fast food or beer couple times a month. No offense man, and I don't mean to be a jerk, but perhaps you should evaluate your self-worth and find a better job. Sounds like your underpaid or have a shitty job where you can't ask for any more money or is a dead end job.

Actually, I was fired from my job due to a medical condition and I'm on unemployment...and I plan on going back to school, but am looking for work in the meantime...

So no, I can't afford 'an extra' $50.00 a month....

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That's unfortunate to hear, I feel very badly for your family man. It's got to be very tough to deal with something like that.

Can't be helped I guess though.

Fribur's analogies are accurate. You do not have the right to watch the shows whenever you want, they are not yours. The owners of the show/network get to dictate the rules of watching them. If you don't like the rules, you do not have to watch the shows.

While your family crisis is unfortunate, it does not grant you any free pass. It is not the networks responsibility to make 2nd airings convienent or affordable. Those commercials for the cars you can't afford are the entire reason the show exists in the first place. It is obvious why you don't care about watching them, but it is equally obvious why the network does care.

having a life outside the internet and mmos sucks because then you miss all the good things in life like the new season of how i met your mother i hate the thought police they're always harshing my mellow

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So what is this prior engagement you have on Monday nights at 9:00pm?

The same thing I'm typically doing every night around 8:30pm to about 9:30 - 10:00pm...reading to my daughter and helping put her to sleep.

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Comcast's OnDemand isn't really worth it. They have a limited amount of content as it is, and delete episodes after like the last two. Movies cost about 4-6 bucks. You do get to watch premium channel movies for free if they're part of your package, but again with the limited content. Sometimes they'll play a movie and if I wanted to watch it later it wasn't on their list.

Either way, nothing is stopping bittorrent. So who's right doesn't matter, people will still get it for free.

I kinda call bullshit on the 1.5 hours to fall asleep thing, just based on prior experience. Whatever.

Anyhow, Comcast sucks -- they severely throttle bittorrent traffic. Just Google for "Bittorrent + Comcast" and you'll see a lot of news about it.

I know this is slightly off topic but thought you might get a kick out of it.

I am calling Time Warner on Monday and canceling my cable TV.

When we moved in to this house, I thought I would give a shot to ordering Basic 10buck a month cable and hoping the internet would just be "on". Well, no such luck. SO, I called TWC back that night and after 30min got a hold of somebody that I could give my MAC to to get the internet turned on.

Well, FF a few days. We started watching some TV again (we haven't watched it in months). Problem is, we like to watch TV when we eat supper and the only things that are on Cable TV are shits like Something about Jim (or something like that) and some other stupid ass shit not worth watching. BUT with the antenna, we get our choice of Family Guy or The Simpsons while we eat.

I hope they ask me why I am canceling my cable. OH.. and so anyway, we moved in here on the 3rd of October. I had to pay a 35$ installation charge for the basic cable, and Had to pay the first month up front. 45.26 or something like that.. in the form of check or money order only. Well, 3 days ago, I got my first bill for our 10.00 cable and 29.99 (introductory) Cable Internet. - GUess how much it was? 90 fucking dollars. Not even fucking shitting you.

Monthly Charges 55.30
Installation/other charges 33.74
Taxes and Fees 1.36.

They did not bill me for the 29.99 - they billed me full price for the internet 44.95.

I looked at my wife and said "Well, we got free cable and internet for nearly 2 years, I guess this is the cable company gods getting even".

So now I get to fucking play with my balls while talking to them for an hour and a half Monday morning trying to sort all this shit out. And I dare them to say they can't provide cable internet unless I have cable TV... I just dare them.

I agree that it's dumb that this guy got hit. The only reason they did it was because the site was obviously popular and they'd get a reaction from doing it. Providing links to the illegal content is definitely not a legal thing to do (imo) but I still agree that the actual people hosting the material should be the primary targets.

I personally think it's stupid of cable companies to make you watch shows at a specific time. I think they're being greedy by making people pay extra for on demand services or what-have-you. I really don't see any problem with them offering commercialized versions of all shows a day or so after they aired online to paying customers. But it's not me in charge, and I guess it's their right to be greedy if they want to. Oh well.

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-Rileigh (aka Golliwog)

I love tvlinks, sad that it got shut down, but it wont change anything, I didnt even really notice too much because I was busy watching anime on Veoh and Stage 6. Glad when I was looking at TV links I remembered some of the places where the stuff was hosted from. Really taking out TVlinks doesnt do anything. All the shows people watched and now like, they will just search harder to find them hosted elsewhere. It was nice to have all the stuff streaming so I didnt have to download it from torrents and all that crap, but if I really like a show and I can find it free online, I'll take it, especially anime since its so damn expensive, and because I can watch it in Sub English AS it comes out in japan (1 week delayed usually) and not 2+ years delayed with english Dub that might be shitastic.

R.I.P Tvlinks I'll always remember you for helping me get by in Poor poor times.

QQ

nevermind, site owned already

Lol, and OiNK has been raided and taken down. http://www.oink.cd/

Another one bites the dust!

there's a real threatening message on oink's page now. i wonder if interpol will come after me.

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i had a .55 ratio there, only 50 gigs uploaded though. they won't get all the sites 180,000 users. shrug. i only uploaded about 15 torrents and most were my band or local bands. Lol.

They'll go after the big fish and huge uploaders.

yeah i think my ratio was around 0.8, i just hope they don't turn off my internet because the isp i have is the only one that provides cable to my complex

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They released the oink guy from jail.

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Marauder Harabakc Goat