Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.
Anti-Piracy Blunder Shuts Down BitTorrent Tracker
torrentfreak.com — A large BitTorrent tracker dealing only in documentaries has been shutdown after an anti-piracy company wrongfully identified content being tracked by the site. The 150,000 member site - which has had just “one mildly upset” copyright-related email in 4 years of operation, is moving to a new host.
FameMoney- 917 diggs
- digg it
- ClintJCL, on 04/23/2008, -4/+48Typical MAFIAA *****.
- GreenChaos, on 04/23/2008, -1/+21What a shallow accusation.
- timdorr, on 04/23/2008, -0/+8Actually, what this does is show a weakness in the DMCA Safe Harbor provisions. When a web host gets a DMCA complaint, they have to follow those provisions to ensure they receive Safe Harbor from being responsible for the activities of the site they host. In order to do this, the host has to take down the content quickly (normally assumed to be under 24 hours) and provide notice to the user. The user can file a counter-claim to get the site back up, but only after 14 days have passed without a formal lawsuit being brought forward. So, the weakness is that any reasonable complaint against a site can get it shut down for 2 weeks at a time.
Nonetheless, the host should have looked into this just a little bit more before shutting down the site.- HonoredMule, on 04/23/2008, -0/+3If you aren't actually infringing, you don't have to take down jack. You counter-respond and continue on your merry way. Even if you are infringing, you only have to take down the precise content in question. The ISP isn't even the appropriate recipient of the DMCA notice and didn't have to do anything without getting the facts, as DMCA notices aren't gun-to-your-head-now ultimatums, and half the notices getting thrown around aren't even legally valid.
MVGroup were fully justified in switching to an ISP with some competence and maybe a shred of backbone to actually look out for their customers.
The DMCA is far too weak on parties who use it incorrectly. The ISP should have been equally afraid of /wrongly/ complying with takedown notices, and it is because of this omission that ISPs get served them in the first place.
- HonoredMule, on 04/23/2008, -0/+3If you aren't actually infringing, you don't have to take down jack. You counter-respond and continue on your merry way. Even if you are infringing, you only have to take down the precise content in question. The ISP isn't even the appropriate recipient of the DMCA notice and didn't have to do anything without getting the facts, as DMCA notices aren't gun-to-your-head-now ultimatums, and half the notices getting thrown around aren't even legally valid.
- timdorr, on 04/23/2008, -0/+8Actually, what this does is show a weakness in the DMCA Safe Harbor provisions. When a web host gets a DMCA complaint, they have to follow those provisions to ensure they receive Safe Harbor from being responsible for the activities of the site they host. In order to do this, the host has to take down the content quickly (normally assumed to be under 24 hours) and provide notice to the user. The user can file a counter-claim to get the site back up, but only after 14 days have passed without a formal lawsuit being brought forward. So, the weakness is that any reasonable complaint against a site can get it shut down for 2 weeks at a time.
- jakash, on 04/23/2008, -4/+98***** ANY ANTI-PIRACY COMPANY!!!
............../´¯/)...
............/....//.....
.........../....//......
...../´¯/..../´¯......
.././.../..../..../.|_..
(.(....(....(..../.)..).
................./.../.
................... /..
..................(.....
.......................
CANT EVEN DO YOUR ***** JOB PROPERLY... GET A NEW ***** JOB! - Jerky1312, on 04/23/2008, -1/+59This actually turned out well for the site, they got a better hosting plan for the same price, they got free advertising on TorrentFreak/Digg and will probably get a lot more users from all of this. Also, no torrents from the site were removed.
- khaavren, on 04/23/2008, -1/+11I agree, makes you wonder if taking down your torrent site and claiming that the riaa or mpaa was behind it is a viable publicity opportunity. I doubt they needed anymore publicity, with 150,000 users.
- taketheleap, on 04/23/2008, -2/+25***** the RIAA, the MPAA and all anti-piracy campaigns.
/not obligatory. Seriously, ***** them. - GibitStylin, on 04/23/2008, -3/+18Screw the RIAA, HACK THE GIBSON!!!!!!
- insllvn, on 04/23/2008, -1/+19The blind and desperate flailing of an obsolete, dying industry.
- Emused, on 04/23/2008, -0/+2Well put!
- Emused, on 04/23/2008, -1/+18 "Merrin: As the modern MVGroup of 4+ years operation, we haven’t had more than one mildly upset email, and in fact have had a producer and writer of a series we torrented actually linking to us from his homepage."
FTW- Genma, on 04/23/2008, -0/+3every tracker should just add "the eye" to the filename of a random high traffic torrent.
- amanilaenvelope, on 04/23/2008, -5/+17With your cable modems combined I am CAPTAIN PIRATE!!
Captain Pritate he's our hero
Gonna take the RIAA down to zero
His ownership is falsified
And he's fighting on the pirate's side
Captain Pritate, he's our hero
Gonna take the MPAA down to zero
Gonna tare that monopoly asunder
all copyrighted things are his plunder
We're the Pirateers
You can be one too
'Cause piracy is the thing to do!
buying stuff is not the way
Hear what Captain Pirate has to say!
"The Power is Yours!"- Malnilion, on 04/23/2008, -9/+1I don't like pirates. File-sharers are cool, though, I count myself in their ranks. The RIAA's probably going to come after your ass for creating a parody of a copyrighted song :)
In all seriousness, though, the RIAA and MPAA are obsolete and corrupt.- lamiaconfitor, on 04/23/2008, -1/+8these groups consider them the same thing. they will ***** you and ask for seconds. this is why we are all pissed. where are you from?
- MiDri, on 04/23/2008, -0/+2Satire is protected.
- HonoredMule, on 04/23/2008, -0/+2...for now.
- Mossmaal, on 04/23/2008, -0/+1parody is not breaking copyright ie Barry Trotter books
- lamiaconfitor, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1will he ever defeat vondeshmort?
- Malnilion, on 04/23/2008, -9/+1I don't like pirates. File-sharers are cool, though, I count myself in their ranks. The RIAA's probably going to come after your ass for creating a parody of a copyrighted song :)
- matarij, on 04/23/2008, -4/+1"Anti-piracy company"
lol that's worse than working for the IRS. - TheLastFreeMan, on 04/23/2008, -12/+4Oh *****, for a second there I thought they got bitme. ***** MVgroup.
- thinman1189, on 04/23/2008, -0/+3Nice job, asshats. It seems like these anti-piracy groups do more damage to themselves than "pirates" ever could. Except the MediaDefender incident, that was just epic.
- alanr19, on 04/23/2008, -2/+12This angers me greatly. The abuses the anti piracy companies get away with are crazy.
IP lawyers in record/movie studios have it better now then they ever did. This is their happy days.
Incidently isn't it illegal under the DMCA to claim copyright ownership of something you don't actually own the copyrights to?, like what these anti piracy chumps tried? They just violated the DCMA themselves, but whats gonna happen them, yup nothing.- zongamin, on 04/23/2008, -2/+2Nice speculation there idiot.
- insomniac8400, on 04/23/2008, -0/+5I hope they take legal action against the company who sent the fake notice. Something like that should result in big fines from the US government as well as a good amount of damages paid to the wrongfully hurt site.
- papaslurp, on 04/23/2008, -1/+1MVGroup is on my top three list of best torrent sites ever. (Oink, BMTV)
- MillionsLivio, on 04/23/2008, -0/+8I did not know about MVGroup before this, but it sounds great; I'll be signing up when they come back online.
- MrViklund, on 04/23/2008, -8/+2Well, they did infringe on copyright so it does not matter.
- vyasram, on 04/23/2008, -4/+0Aren't all torrent trackers at Sweeden?
- DestroyFascism, on 04/23/2008, -0/+2Sue them both..........
- username484767, on 04/23/2008, -0/+1morons should be castrated
- kirado4, on 04/23/2008, -0/+3Sue them.. they need to sued for there mistake. If other make mistakes the RIAA expects them to pay millions.. somehomw I don't see them being brought to justice.
- Stormwern, on 04/23/2008, -4/+2Wonder who's done more to undermine civil justice, Bush or RIAA
- Yage2006, on 04/23/2008, -0/+1Damn thats sad and I knew who it was before even clicking the article. Been a members there for years a awesome site a service to the community I hope there back soon .
I am really not surprised though even though its documentary's most of them are copyrighted :/- HonoredMule, on 04/23/2008, -0/+1I hope you take a moment to actually read the article. The DMCA notice was completely erroneous.
/I'm/ not surprised that documentary writers have thus far had no problem whatsoever with their content being distributed freely. After all, their purpose is to add to society, not take away from it, and they manage to do so in 120 minutes without a billion dollar budget.
- HonoredMule, on 04/23/2008, -0/+1I hope you take a moment to actually read the article. The DMCA notice was completely erroneous.
- starkistuna, on 04/23/2008, -0/+1dammn it thats one of my favorite trackers!
- rspeed, on 04/23/2008, -0/+1Can anyone tell me who the old hosting company was so I can avoid them like the plague?
Digg is coming to a city (and computer) near you! Check out all the details on our 
© Digg Inc. 2008 —
Content posted by