Did The MPAA Hire A Hacker To Break Into TorrentSpy?

from the the-law-only-applies-to-others dept

I guess since the entertainment industry is building up their own police force while also getting the FBI to do its dirty work, it’s no surprise that movie industry execs might believe they’re above the law. TorrentSpy, the torrent search engine (not file sharing platform) was sued by the MPAA recently. As we noted at the time, TorrentSpy has wisely decided to fight back, as it appears they have a pretty strong case that they’ve done nothing illegal. However, TorrentSpy is now claiming that the MPAA is playing dirty — and that they hired a hacker to break into TorrentSpy’s corporate network to get whatever internal information possible for the sake of the lawsuit. The hacker ended up scoring financial information, internal emails and details about the company’s technology. However, after all of this, the hacker felt bad and ‘fessed up to TorrentSpy, who has now sued the MPAA for these actions. If this is proven true, it’s a new low for the MPAA. Perhaps when you’re used to treating your customers like criminals you start assuming that criminal activity is fine.


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Comments on “Did The MPAA Hire A Hacker To Break Into TorrentSpy?”

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23 Comments
Zona (user link) says:

Law

Law is only for those who are too weak/poor to buck it. The strong/rich can and do get away with murder every single day. These intrest’s make money off of divisions, metering out content. In stead of seeing file shareing as a universal radio of marketing, they are threatened cause you don’t go through -their- stores and sites. Yet in the end the people are bigger than even the corporation. Untill they place us ALL in camps and moniter everyone. The pirates shall reign, and somehow, I think the artist’s will survive, connecting to the fan/consumer directly rather than through a company.

DittoBox (user link) says:

Re: Law

The rich get away with murder everyday, eh?

Show me some proof. Any proof.

I do believe in the so called “gold standard” (whoever has the gold sets the standard) but I don’t believe that those really evil rich folks “get away with murder everyday”. That’s just retarded. There’s a lot law abiding and very generous rich people out there, but as with every group the vocal loudmouths tend to be the jerks.

Dick Haliburton says:

Re: Re: Law

Surely you are a shitwit!

Do you walk around all day with a paper bag over your head? All you have to do is look at congress and the executive branch to see the rich getting away with murder…

No bid contracts for Haliburton for billions of dollars—>Totally illegal—>Consequences?NONE whatsoever. Savings and Loan scandals of the 90s, billions of dollars stolen–>consequences?–>NONE. Microsoft skull-fucking its competitors for years–>results of Anti-Trust proceedings–>NOTHING.

YOU’RE A FLIPPIN’ PEA BRAIN. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE…

Christov (user link) says:

Re: Re: The rich get away with murder every day

Common you want a f-ing example all I have to give you is two letters. OJ but hell why not thow in Phill Spector or if you want to maybe get a little off the bandwagon take a look at all of the supposed Clinton Killings while he was in office. but dont stop there open your f-ing eyes and read the paper look at the facts dont try and say that the law is equel when we all know that it isnt. everything has its price you stupid twat.

PopeRatzo says:

Innovators will always find ways to reach their audience. The current plantation system for creative artists (and inventors, by the way) won’t stand in the liberating world of a free internet.

The reason the MPAA and other corporate raiders don’t like this is because the truly good artists will flourish and the phoney-baloney ones like Ashlee Simpson et al will fade away. This upsets the delicate balance of The Entertainment/Industrial Complex.

That’s why this is war.

will says:

Re: Re:

I think your getting the MPAA and the RIAA confused..

MPAA = Motion Picture Association of America

The same guys that made it their mission to throw a 15 year old kid in jail for as many years as they could get away with for cracking DVD encryption so he could watch DVD’s on his Linux machine.. great people!!

Mike C. says:

Re: Re: Confusion

The analogy still holds. Remove Ashlee Simpson and replace with King Kong (2006).

The reason I don’t go to the movie theaters anymore is that there is nothing but poor quality remakes or sequels that are just trying to cash in on some gimmick or fad (remake of The Omen for 6/6/06 anyone?)

Quality is what drives my purchasing decisions. If what is available is not of sufficient quality to entertain me, I won’t buy it. Instead, I’ll spend my money in an upscale restaurant and have some really good food for a change. At least the restaurant business still understands to some degree.

Michael Langford says:

Re: Re: Re: fight back!

I say if they are going to bully and sue, which most of us cannot afford to fight, we take another route… stand outside a music store for a couple of hours handing out leaflets explaining how people can download the music they are about to buy for free, publicise torrents as much as you can, and don’t buy any of the products that RIAA MPAA promote.

DittoBox (user link) says:

Re: Re: Re:2 fight back!

You can still be nailed for doing this. TorrentSpy has a strong case because their service is “dumb”. It goes around collecting links to .torrent files from loads of trackers. It recieves not human input and filters nothing. Some content is legal, some is not. It would be up to the searcher to know what’s what and not download non-legal content.

You on the other hand are advocating full on copyright infringement, you’re even providing the means to that end: links to the content.

I say just support indie artists who have said “screw you” to he RIAA or indie film companies/actors who’ve done the same to the Screen Actor’s Guild and to the MPAA.

Many times, though the visual effects aren’t as good, the movies are better and so is the music.

We need to overcome the RIAA and MPAA peacefully. We need to overcome the RIAA and MPAA lawfully, by using our free market choice.

Louis says:

The law does not apply to Rich Corporations

So this is what Bernards says:

“Torrentspy is trying to obscure the facts to hide the fact that they are facilitating thievery. We are confident that our lawsuit against them will be successful because the law is on our side.”

Yes, the law is on their side, because they have the money to buy it. So, yes, they are above the law.

SearchIsNotThievery says:

Re: The law does not apply to Rich Corporations

In the same way the VCR did not break the law, neither does the search engine. You gonna sue Google because I can find web pages with cracks on it? How about Microsoft because their Media Player let’s me burn CDs? You creeps are jokes and are thrashing because your business model is out of date.

Dead Head says:

Idiots

Bernards is an idiot. I use a Bit Torrent client daily. I have never downloaded any commercially released movie or a single commercially released song. I listen to a LOT of hippie jam bands, and they encourage taping. There are also a lot of videos of these same bands floating around, and these guys are smart enough to realize the following:

1) They make money from touring, not records.

2)Play well and people will come

3)Free tapes of these shows floating around kills bootlegger profit and brings more people to the shows. It also raises fan dedication to higher levels (look at the Grateful Dead. Sellout show after sellout show, for decades, with only 1 top ten hit in 35 years.)

So no, bit torrent DOES NOT encourage breaking of the law. I hope the MPAA is convicted of conspirace to commit an act of terrorism. If it wah the FBI they hacked, thats what the charge would be….

Alex (user link) says:

eminem and other failures

basically the mpaa should spend more time suing fakers and posers like eminem, xtina, and brittany spears and stop messing with the poor ignorant losers who BUY those albums. its not their fault.. they are too stupid to realize they can download the albums!

that didnt make any sense. i just thought it might be cool to razz on eminem, xtina, and brittany since they are all posers and have no talent. thank you!

Bangy (profile) says:

No more PC

It’s the “international banker” types who have had a death grip on just about all forms of media for the past 100 years. They created a system of exploitation that can take advantage of musicians, actors and the like and reap huge profits by controlling the production and distribution of the material. bittorrent has torn down this 4th wall leaving these modern day cockroaches to scamper from the light of truth that THEy are the ones who have been theiving and exploiting to fill their own pockets. lets stop being politically correct and call out these parasites once and for all.

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