Asscroft Raids P2P Users Homes!

[antiklaus]

CNN - Despite recent court rulings which sided with P2P users, Ashcroft is not letting that get in his way of his personal crusade to end the practice. Before a packed conference room, he denouced the users of P2P as criminals, saying "These raids will send a clear message to people... P2P does not mean 'Permission to Pilfer'"

A series of raids, which began yesterday, backed by a previously unheard of number of lawmakers and field agents, punctuates his vows to confiscate the personal computers of everyone using p2p services to share copyrighted materials whether the people involved are aware of it or not.

Thousands of computers have already been seized in Texas, New York, and across the country, and as Ashcroft himself has said, "This is only the beginning..."

Do you think Ashcroft has gone off his nut? The courts had all but said that p2p was legal, and all the sudden Asscroft goes off on a personal Crusade to protect the nation against piracy... despite the fact that the most extreme industry estimates show little more than 5% overall impact.

Some people say "out of my cold dead hands" when speaking about their guns, when someone comes to take them... will they do the same of their computers?

The war on Terror (aka State Sanctioned Privateer Protection) seems to have shifted from Iraq to our Hard Drives. I say more power to our TRUE pirate kin. May they find new and better ways to fight the system... And screw Asscroft's latest endeavors.

[Jimsween]

Thier fault for being n00bs. No good criminal gets caught.

And I don't know what your talking about anti, I hadn't seen any court rulings saying p2p was legal or letting people who use p2p off.

[antiklaus]

At 8/26/04 07:18 AM, Jimsween wrote: Thier fault for being n00bs. No good criminal gets caught.

And I don't know what your talking about anti, I hadn't seen any court rulings saying p2p was legal or letting people who use p2p off.

http://digitalmusic.weblogsinc.com/entry/1994668577055435/
A previous verdict which upheld the legitimacy of defending file-sharing companies Grokster and Morpheus has been upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by unanimous 3-0 decision. The court found that blaming P2P companies for the actions of some of their users, thereby giving relief to record label and music companies, would be an “unwise” revision of existing copyright law.
This latest ruling, one of a string of judgments that have supported the right of P2P companies to operate, upholds the “Betamax Ruling” of the Supreme Court which established the legal legitimacy of videocassette recorders. At that time, the movie industry led by short-sighted MPAA chief Jack Valenti (recently retired), screamed that VCRs would destroy movies. Hollywood and the music business are screeching the same song now, regarding file-sharing.

I think that's a fair citation. Perhaps I should have added it to the post?

[Jimsween]

Well, your talking about something else than what Aschcroft is doing. The supreme court is saying its ok for P2P to exist, but it's not ok for users to abuse it. And Ashcroft is taking away the computers of users abusing it.

Surely in the long run, this is a step towards getting rid of intellectual property, but they have no direct relevence to the actions of ashcroft. Not sure if what he's doing is completely legal though.....

[Zellie]

year well.. it's their own fault for being stupid enough to use it..

[BLUEleaf]

So... I don't want to pay 500$ for overpriced software?
And now I gotta lose everything for it?

Some people want to learn, and some people can't afford to learn, people like me.
My mom wont even pay for me to go to Wendy's.

I have software, but VERY LITTLE WAREZ.
I only have one warez (Adobe Photoshop)

[Montgomery-Scott]

I'm against the siezing of computers and the massive legal settelments for file sharing, but i dont question it's legality. The federal government can do whatever it damn well pleases, it can fuck with us all it wants. We cant do anything about it. So just don't fileshare. Spending 15 bucks on a CD is better than spendint 10,000 dollars in a legal settlement.

[Proteas]

Are they just seizing computers, or do they actually intend to prosecute the users of the p2p software?

[Montgomery-Scott]

i think prosecute. but really, i think it is unconstitutional, "unwarrented search and seisure?

[Proteas]

At 8/26/04 02:55 PM, Quanze13 wrote: i think prosecute. but really,

He's going to have the courts tied up for years, that's just great.

i think it is unconstitutional, "unwarrented search and seisure?

4th amedment rights guarentee you protection from unlawful search and seizure. However, it would seem Ashcroft & Co. not only knows who the users are, they have search warrents as well.

[antiklaus]

4th amedment rights guarentee you protection from unlawful search and seizure. However, it would seem Ashcroft & Co. not only knows who the users are, they have search warrents as well.

They needn't bother with warrants under the new rules of patriot act law...

And get this - if you have software that you think is legal, but it's not - say a registered version of some freeware music player.. you still get charged under his plan.

What a guy. I bet he sleeps nice and soundly with those multimillion dollar checks from the record and software industry under his pillows.

Where the fuck are the Tyler Durdens of the world when you need 'em?

Ashcroft - we gotta have your balls.

[witeshark]

What happened to the Bono and Fred Durst limpbizkit U2 responses to Napster?

[witeshark]

Oh you think it ends there? Ha!

[Elfer]

Folks, this is why you always ask to see a warrant before allowing police officers into your home.

[TheWakingDeath]

At 8/27/04 12:20 AM, mofomojo wrote: I say Y'all move to canada, where there is no ashcroft , I was born here! Another sign of the free world's slow adoptation of fascism. Next they'll be whoring themselves to sell government brand goods .

Uhm, this hasn't got anything to do with Fascism. Technically P2P file sharing is illegal. Ashcroft is however insnae. This is the guy would put sheets on all the statues in washington. It's really funny that he honestly thinks this is a big enough issue that it warrants the kind measures he's taking. I also don't see seizing people's computers as particularly legal. They should have to go through the normal process of the law and proof the persons guilt before they can snatch their shit.
BTW has anyone noticed how large Ashcroft's nostrils are?

[Maus]

Wow.

They crack down on people trading good old rock 'n' roll through p2p, but they can't track down child pr0n rings that use p2p. Priorities, schmioroties.

Bah.

[The-Last-Cynic]

It's strange that Ascroft turned out to be such a bad Attorney General. Looking at his record earlier, I mean how many people do you know lose to dead people. Talk about accomplishments.

[Nylo]

Fucking Ashcroft, him alone would be good enough reason not to re-elect bush, Constitution-ass-whiping nazi.

[AzureWrathHal]

Sigh....as if he could stop it.

As long as people have friends with the same interests, there is always going to be file sharing....or sharing otherwise.

What a waste of time.

But that's your tax money at work.

[EnragedSephiroth]

At 8/26/04 02:55 PM, Quanze13 wrote: i think prosecute. but really, i think it is unconstitutional, "unwarrented search and seisure?

It is most definately unconstitutional. That is the purpose of the court, to dedide whether it is constitutional or not. According to what I've heard here, the courts have decided that it is not unconstitutional, therefore, what Asscroft is doing is very much unconstitutional, therefore, do something about it and get his ass out of the government. You can email the guy, or call his office, I'm sure he has public access like the president, governors of the states, senators and representatives do, so go out there and tell his ass what he's doing is uncontitutional.

[antiklaus]

At 8/27/04 01:58 AM, Maus wrote: Wow.

They crack down on people trading good old rock 'n' roll through p2p, but they can't track down child pr0n rings that use p2p. Priorities, schmioroties.

Bah.

No, they'd rather take away the garden variety porn. Too many congressmen and people at the top are into the kiddies.