Overhype

Overhype

by Mike Masnick


Filed Under:
ifpi, ireland, isps, liability, safe harbor

Companies:
httpshare, ifpi



As Expected, IFPI 'Advertising' Helps Boost BitTorrent Search Site

from the the-definition-of-insanity dept

For a group that claims it's focused on "educating" people, the recording industry seems amazingly thickheaded in learning lessons itself. Just last week the IFPI succeeded in having an Israeli court demand that Israeli ISPs block bittorrent search site HttpShare. As we noted in that post, this would likely act as tremendous advertising for HttpShare -- and, indeed, that's exactly what has happened. The site claims that traffic has jumped, even requiring the site owners to upgrade the hardware hosting the site -- all thanks to a little "IFPI Advertising."

What's most stunning, however, is that the IFPI didn't realize this would happen. After all, it's happened again and again and again. In fact, just a month ago, a similar action in Denmark over the Pirate Bay greatly increased traffic to the site. Hell, the Pirate Bay first came to international attention (beyond a much smaller niche group of users) after the IFPI pressured gov't officials to take the site down. Of course, rather than recognize this, the IFPI and the RIAA (and the MPAA at times as well) always claim that each of these "shut downs" is a "significant blow" against piracy. Apparently, they never consider what happens next. Makes you think that the execs and lawyers at the recording industry probably aren't very good chess players.

13 Comments | Leave a Comment..

 
 

Reader Comments (rss)

(Flattened / Threaded)

  1. Mar 12th, 2008 @ 7:44pm
    by Anonymous Coward

    Chess? Serious?

    How good do they play Twister??

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  2. Mar 12th, 2008 @ 8:02pm

    Slow Learners

    by Joe

    Not so good at whack-a-mole either.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  3. Mar 12th, 2008 @ 8:37pm

    Not a clue

    by SSX

    But they seem to be very adept at hangman. At least the part of the game involving hanging themselves.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  4. Mar 12th, 2008 @ 9:21pm

    For their mentality

    by WorkingInDust

    Chutes and Ladders seems a bit more fitting for them considering their level of intelligence

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  5. Mar 12th, 2008 @ 9:56pm

    Manchurian Candidates Committing Streisand Effects

    by Lawrence D'Oliveiro

    ...while the rest of us watch the show and chuckle.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  6. Mar 12th, 2008 @ 10:14pm
    by inc

    Thanks IFPI.. got a new torrent site

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  7. Mar 13th, 2008 @ 1:32am

    never heard of it til today

    by mike allen

    subject line says it all!!!!!!!!

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  8. Mar 13th, 2008 @ 3:44am

    Wow, more torrent sites

    by ah irony

    Heh, yet another one who found out about them through IFPI advertising. Noticed they even opened an English discussion forum due to all the influx of international people thanks to it.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  9. Mar 13th, 2008 @ 4:05am

    Of course it's a significant blow...

    by Lisa Westveld

    These significant blows are very useful to boost piracy and thus provide the RIAA with proper evidence of how bad things are. They need more pirates so they can justify their own actions. First the piracy problem in Israel was just a minor thing, not worth much attention. After this blow it suddenly becomes much more popular to visit a piracy site and thus they create the evidence that shows how much piracy there is. They promote piracy so they can make a better case against it.

    Pretty smart strategy, if you ask me. Very successful too. Now they can push governments and ISPs into introducing packet filtering to fight copyright violations at the core. This is exactly what they want.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  10. Mar 13th, 2008 @ 6:51am

    Re: Of course it's a significant blow...

    by Anonymous Coward

    "Pretty smart strategy, if you ask me. Very successful too. Now they can push governments and ISPs into introducing packet filtering to fight copyright violations at the core. This is exactly what they want."

    Even if that's the case and various government to introduce packet filtering it won't stop copyright violations. All it will do is push it deeper underground with much better methods of hiding what's actually being transmitted.

    I agree that piracy is in the best interests of these agencies, without it they'd be out of a job.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  11. Mar 13th, 2008 @ 12:21pm
    by Anonymous Coward

    Checkers.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  12. Mar 14th, 2008 @ 3:51pm

    A significant blow...Really?

    by Fushta

    Can you plug up the holes in a dam with your fingers?

    How many fingers/toes does the entertainment industry have left?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  13. Mar 18th, 2008 @ 10:33am
    by Anonymous Coward

    cool...I'll have to check that site out

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

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