UK ISPs told to block 21 pirate sites. Do you download illegally?

IvaBigWun · 18-11-2013 9:00pm #1

UK ISPs have been asked to block 21 more websites that are believed to be linked to pirated music.

The court order follows an application by the BPI which represents the British music industry.

The list includes BeeMPS, Abmp3 and several torrent sites, which link to copyright infringing material.

Previously ISPs have been asked to block access to the Pirate Bay and seven other websites.

"We asked the sites to stop infringing copyright but unfortunately they did not and we were left with little choice but to apply to the court," said Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive.

Gareth Mead, a Virgin Media spokesman said: "As a responsible ISP we obey court orders addressed to the company."

BT also said that it would block the sites.

But music analyst Mark Mulligan thinks that other developments are more responsible for the decline in usage of file-sharing sites.

"As things move more towards cloud-based models and streaming, there is less use of peer-to-peer sites," he said.

"While such blocks will deter the casual pirate, there are still plenty of workarounds for those more determined to get content for free."

Much of the focus of copyright infringement has shifted from music to illegal film and TV downloads.

According to the TorrentFreak website, popular TV show Breaking Bad was downloaded 500,000 times from various sites when the final episode aired in October.

Popular torrent site isoHunt closed this month following a lengthy court battle with the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) although it appears to have been resurrected by new owners just two weeks after the shutdown.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24726078

Full list of sites that will be blocked

Abmp3
BeeMP3
Bomb-Mp3
FileCrop
FilesTube
Mp3Juices
eMp3World
Mp3lemon
Mp3Raid
Mp3skull
NewAlbumReleases
Rapidlibrary
1337x
BitSnoop
ExtraTorrent
Monova
TorrentCrazy
TorrentDownloads
TorrentHound
Torrentreactor
Torrentz

Is it only a matter of time before Irish ISPs follow suit? The only action that stands out over recent years is Eircom's blocking The Pirate Bay and there's plenty of workarounds for that.

Do you download illegally?

Poll to follow

donvito99 · 18-11-2013 9:01pm

People on the internet should expect to pay for some things.

/unpopular opinions

Tombi! · 18-11-2013 9:02pm

So it's to be done by October 30th... was it done or not?

SureYWouldntYa · 18-11-2013 9:02pm

I dont think im the only one who does it regularly, but still feels its not right and everyone should be paying for whatever they're downloading

electrobanana · 18-11-2013 9:03pm

yes all the time.

hfallada · 18-11-2013 9:05pm

Well if you "support the artist" by buying on iTunes. Apple takes a whopping 70% of the sale. Once you take out the lawyer fees, record label fees and other the other "evil coporate people". Your favourite artist probably has got a cent or two.

Dr dre realised making a living off music was over and set up beats. And he has made a killing off it. Like wise Hollywood makes a ton of money off merchandising.

My grandparents have pirated copies of hard back books. Privacy has existed for ever. Companies are just too lazy and stupid to adjust.

IvaBigWun · 18-11-2013 9:05pm

Poll added

Holsten · 18-11-2013 9:06pm

Block away, it won't do ****.

I don't download as much due to things like Netflix, if I can get it easier and in better quality for a reasonable price I'll pay it.

Canis Lupus · 18-11-2013 9:06pm

Yep. When it comes to games I often buy them anyway in sales later one and nowadays if you want to play online you need to own the game but movies/tv series for sure.

StaticNoise · 18-11-2013 9:06pm

This cat-and-mouse game will continue forever more. Piracy will always exist.
The companies getting their acts together and making a different kind of service is the only option.

I don't agree with screwing over the independent, smaller acts, and we need to promote them, properly- but the TV and Movie companies are the ones to get moving on things.

Always relevant...

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones

The Diabolical Monocle · 18-11-2013 9:09pm

Does youtube count ? - I convert songs off youtube to mp3.

Jason Todd · 18-11-2013 9:14pm

I literally only download one thing... The Walking Dead, as I'm too impatient to wait a week or whatever to watch it over here.

For everything else, I'll rent through my Xbox, or my local Xtravision. I'll buy music occasionally from iTunes. And I've got Netflix, so I'm grand. Really can't be arsed pirating. Don't understand half of these pirate and torrent websites anyway.

IvaBigWun · 18-11-2013 9:22pm

The Diabolical Monocle wrote: »

Does youtube count ? - I convert songs off youtube to mp3.

That definitely counts

and you're doing your ears a big disservice

BillyMitchel · 18-11-2013 9:24pm

Used to always use Limewire for music. That was unreal!

I was years behind on the oul Torrent things but use it now for TV shows and some movies. Never for new releases but mainly for movies I can't get hold of easily.

Don't have Netflix.

So yes I illegally download. The shame

The Dom · 18-11-2013 9:25pm

No, but I illegally stream.

Have you seen the price of Ballygowan?

glass_onion · 18-11-2013 9:36pm

Not all torrents on sites are illegal.Some do be legit/free like linux os.
Sometimes i think people have no choice but to go the dishonest route.Some movies/dvd sets are censored or missing features that are included in other regions,or they might not have been released here.

Other example would be movies/albums that have been out of print for years and not yet been reissued.

Agent Coulson · 18-11-2013 9:39pm

Netflix has been great and stopped me downloading. Now If HBO GO and Hulu and Lovefilm were here it would stop me competely I think. I have spent a lot of money over the years upgrading my Videos to DvD to BluRay so I had now problem streaming or downloading a movie every now and again.

Music isn't my thing for downloading but I know plenty of people now who use Spotify and will use iRadio when it goes live.

These companies are just to late to the market place and stopping downloading now will be near impossibale as there are people who think it is their right to have everything on the internet for FREE.

Vincent Vega · 18-11-2013 10:04pm

The music industry needs to come up with something new to make people want to buy music, as opposed to chasing those who don't see the value in paying.
I'd imagine for some people it comes down to not caring to pay for things they'll never see a physical copy of.

I always like to buy vinyl of albums I like. Usually for the big cover art and extras they throw in sometimes.
I think more people would buy the product if owning it felt more worthwhile than stealing it. (eg: unique packaging, free posters/merchandise, ability to buy pre-sale tickets for gigs)
There is rarely any disadvantage to stealing over buying with digital media.

Also, whats all this crap about people not actually owning the music that they buy on itunes? ie: if you die, apparently the music can't be passed on to someone else.

IvaBigWun · 18-11-2013 11:03pm

I forgot to add "streaming" as an option so tick any of the torrent options if you're sometimes bold in that way.

I recently streamed all 7 seasons of The Shield guilt free. Based on its quality I know I'll someday buy the DVD/BluRay boxset when the extras get juicy enough, but there's no way Id have done so blind

kjl · 18-11-2013 11:10pm

XBMC with Icefilms and 1channel, game over.

Sulla Felix · 18-11-2013 11:12pm

Stream and torrent a bit. Have netflix now which reduces it a bit, and spotify but I never used to download that much music anyway, mainly just movies and books.

ShadowHearth · 18-11-2013 11:21pm

I am a huge gamer, but I haven't pirated a single game in 10 years. Prices of pc games became really good and if you wait few weeks, them most likely you can get games for less then 50%.

I torrent some TV shows awaits pretty much the only way to get those shows. Having breaking bad on Netflix is awesome. Now I am watching Doctor who, but it does not have all seasons. So I will have to torrent the rest.

I have not pirated music in ages. I got YouTube and spotify. Works great.

karma_ · 18-11-2013 11:29pm

Talk about an exercise in pissin against the wind, no one on the internet has ever heard of a proxy like. I wonder how much money they flushed down the drain for this.

Grayson · 18-11-2013 11:29pm

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I am a huge gamer, but I haven't pirated a single game in 10 years. Prices of pc games became really good and if you wait few weeks, them most likely you can get games for less then 50%.

I torrent some TV shows awaits pretty much the only way to get those shows. Having breaking bad on Netflix is awesome. Now I am watching Doctor who, but it does not have all seasons. So I will have to torrent the rest.

I have not pirated music in ages. I got YouTube and spotify. Works great.

I don't pirate games either. You very rarely get access to the online features anyway.
Well, that's not true there are some old games like starcraft etc. I lost my discs ages ago so now I just have torrented ones.

I subscribe to netflix. I'd do the same if iPlayer was available here. I torrent about 50% of what I watch. maybe more. Nearly all my music is torrented. I wouldn't pay for it either.

The thing is netflix is actually really bad for the net. the amount of bandwidth it takes up is stupid.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/15/bittorrent-says-netflix-is-hogging-bandwidth-not-beating-it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24911187

Cantona's Collars · 18-11-2013 11:42pm

Certain movies & tv shows are the ones I download most.I know UK tv are getting better with showing stuff with 24-48 hours of it first airing in the States but the wait on other stuff is laughable.3 shows I watch regularly are almost a year behind on tv over here.My local cinema closed down due to a bigger,fancier one opening in Wexford,it's a 30 mile round trip to see a movie without even factoring in the ticket price & snacks.It's just not feasible to go as often as I'd like.
Couldn't be bothered with Netflix as Xbmc provides me with more content than I'd have time to watch.

nocoverart · 18-11-2013 11:50pm

I illegally stream TV/Movies from time to time but never illegally download per say.

LoonyLovegood · 19-11-2013 12:00am

I'll download albums I can't get here. I want the new Cassadee Pope album, it's still unavailable on iTunes despite being out in the US a month. Same with the new Florida Georgia Line album (although that's out in the US almost a year). If it wasn't for a friend going over there next week I'd have downloaded them, as there's no other way for me to get them here.

nocoverart · 19-11-2013 12:05am

CTYIgirl wrote: »

I'll download albums I can't get here. I want the new Cassadee Pope album, it's still unavailable on iTunes despite being out in the US a month. Same with the new Florida Georgia Line album (although that's out in the US almost a year). If it wasn't for a friend going over there next week I'd have downloaded them, as there's no other way for me to get them here.

I think you need to illegally download a good taste in music

PopePalpatine · 19-11-2013 12:09am

I download illegally too, but Netflix has cut down on that quite a bit. If BBC iPlayer was available over here that would cut down further on my illegal downloading.

LoonyLovegood · 19-11-2013 12:09am

nocoverart wrote: »

I think you need to illegally download a good taste in music

It's better than one direction and all that shíte!

hfallada · 19-11-2013 12:14am

But it doesnt help that sometimes it take for ever for films to be released in Europe. Often you can illegally download a DVDrip from some torrent site before the movie hits the screen in Europe. It was the same with tv shows until networks realised they needed to air tv shows the day after America does (eg Homeland on RTE2 is 2 days after the us airing, but 5 years ago could be 6 months after the America airing).

You really give out to someone using torrent for a TV show in Ireland when it will never air in Ireland or is on at 3,30 am on a Sunday night on TG4(mad men was some "fantastic time" like that)

Sh1tbag OToole · 19-11-2013 12:21am

This announcement has made me more determined to pirate more stuff even though I'm already at the point where I don't get to around to using most of the stuff I download.

nocoverart · 19-11-2013 12:23am

CTYIgirl wrote: »

It's better than one direction and all that shíte!

Na! you badly need some Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Chelsea Wolfe in your life... and that's just the first Three letters of the musical alphabet.

IvaBigWun · 19-11-2013 12:54am

nocoverart wrote: »

I illegally stream TV/Movies from time to time but never illegally download per say.

Both are one and the same.

nocoverart · 19-11-2013 1:20am

IvaBigWun wrote: »

Both are one and the same.

Not really. illegally streaming something is effectively like renting, whilst downloading illegally is like owning that product. Both wrong but entirely different.

General General · 19-11-2013 1:24am

Downloading stuff illegally is wrong... I firmly believe that... but I don't care that it's wrong, so I do it anyway... 'cause I like getting stuff for free.

Bipolar Joe · 19-11-2013 1:30am

Mostly for things I can't get, like OOP things or those hard-to-find movies, especially foreign ones. If I dig it, I'll buy it in the hope it's an incentive for more of the same thing to the suppliers.

anncoates · 19-11-2013 1:36am

Not bothered if musicians can't afford to make music anymore. There's enough existing music around already plus most bands just increasingly annoy the tits off you as get older.

19-11-2013 1:44am

I've stopped pirating music since downloading Spotify. Don't mind the odd advert or two every few songs, because for the most part they're unobtrusive.

I do download movies and TV shows, but most of the time networks and distribution companies have themselves to blame. The fact that the UK market has to wait between a week to a few months for a movie or TV show to release over here is absolutely idiotic in the digital age. There should be universal release dates for everything, with adverts based on your location - give me the option of wanting to watch a new release on my laptop or in the cinema. Give me the chance to watch TV shows legally and not have to wait months sometimes before they air on Sky and years for them to air on RTÉ.

They need to work with people that torrent and listen to them, instead of just trying to shut down the sites, because there will always be another torrent site - whether it be that same one on a different domain name, or a different one altogether.

Frank Garrett · 19-11-2013 2:31am

Mr.S wrote: »

Streaming is downloading. You just dont see the file on your desktop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Download

The term downloading is distinguished from the related concept of streaming, which indicates the receiving of data that is used near immediately as it is received, while the transmission is still in progress and which may not be stored long-term, whereas in a process described using the term downloading, this would imply that the data is only usable when it has been received in its entirety. Increasingly, websites that offer streaming media or media displayed in-browser, such as YouTube, and which place restrictions on the ability of users to save these materials to their computers after they have been received, say that downloading is not permitted. In this context, download implies specifically "receive and save" instead of simply "receive". However, it is also important to note that downloading is not the same as "transferring" (i.e., sending/receiving data between two storage devices would be a transferral of data, but receiving data from the Internet would be considered a download).

SEANoftheDEAD · 19-11-2013 2:43am

I only download films that are ripped from dvd. At that stage the money has already been made. So what of it.

TV Shows... well if they we're aired here the same time as over there then thats that problem solved.

Music... guilty. But I do tend to buy the album if I download something that I really like.
Music collections dont look as good on a external hard drive.

drunkmonkey · 19-11-2013 2:43am

Could you be arsed downloading when streaming services are so good, why somebody needs terabytes of movies and music stored locally is beyond me, you don't need to download the internet ffs.
If everybody copped the f on we wouldn't have half as much congestion on the net.

kwestfan08 · 19-11-2013 2:50am

Used to torrent all my music but lately I've bought it all on iTunes. When your paying less than a tenner an album it's hard to justify not paying that when you consider that work and whatnot that goes into creating a body of work like that.

Sulla Felix · 19-11-2013 4:02am

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Could you be arsed downloading when streaming services are so good, why somebody needs terabytes of movies and music stored locally is beyond me, you don't need to download the internet ffs.
If everybody copped the f on we wouldn't have half as much congestion on the net.

My guilty pleasure is ebooks. I've 60k at last count, most of which I've no interest in reading and a sizeable chunk of which can't even be read on my Kindle.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo · 19-11-2013 4:15am

60k is a heck of a lot of reading!

I waited patiently for Netflix to put up seasons 5 and 6 of Sons of Anarchy and they didn't so I've just watched them the only way I could and streamed it. Couldn't be bothered downloading series of shows though.

I do download concerts as they are a nice thing to have but that's as far my laziness lets me go.

Youtube has pretty much every song and album ever made on it. Will continue to use that as long as it stays the way it is. If I feel the government is gonna seriously crack down on downloading and streaming and things get a bit hairy I think that will give me the kick up the hole to download the whole internet. Still think we're a fair few years away from that still.

humbert · 19-11-2013 4:39am

Sulla Felix wrote: »

My guilty pleasure is ebooks. I've 60k at last count, most of which I've no interest in reading and a sizeable chunk of which can't even be read on my Kindle.

I'm bad for that too. I've download enough maths books to keep me going until the next millennium. Strangely the moment I become interested in one I buy it.

kingtut · 19-11-2013 1:00pm

Torrents? That's old school!

Usenet ftw!

19-11-2013 1:02pm

kingtut wrote: »

Torrents? That's old school!

Usenet ftw!

Isn't Usenet as old school, if not more so?

Alun · 19-11-2013 1:03pm

kingtut wrote: »

Torrents? That's old school!

Usenet ftw!

Usenet pre-dates peer to peer networking and torrents by a good few years actually. It's just that it's become 'fashionable' again now that torrenting sites have been targeted.

Burgo · 19-11-2013 1:04pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Isn't Usenet as old school, if not more so?

It's way older than torrenting.

Turtyturd · 19-11-2013 1:10pm

I download pretty much everything....it's at the stage now where when I go to Tesco with my son he won't ask me to buy him a dvd but to download it when we get home.

UK ISPs told to block 21 pirate sites. Do you download illegally?

Do you download media illegally? 477 votes

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