August 27, 2007 9:25 AM PDT
TorrentSpy shuts down in the U.S.
Last modified: August 27, 2007 11:16 AM PDT
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The barring of U.S. residents by TorrentSpy comes as a U.S. district judge is expected to rule any day on whether TorrentSpy must turn over its user information to the Motion Picture Association of America. That group filed a civil complaint against the company last year accusing TorrentSpy of violating copyright law.
"TorrentSpy's decision to stop accepting U.S. visitors was not compelled by any court," according to a statement from the company. "Rather, it arises out of an uncertain legal climate in the United States regarding user privacy and the apparent tension between U.S. and European Union Internet privacy laws."
The company also said that because its servers are located in the Netherlands, the site will remain accessible to users outside of the United States.
Although TorrentSpy doesn't host any pirated movies on its site, the search engine helps users find unauthorized copies, the MPAA alleged in its suit. TorrentSpy has argued that the company has many legitimate uses and is protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA provides safe harbor for Internet service providers and does not hold them responsible for unlawful acts committed by their users.
The MPAA declined to comment on TorrentSpy's decision.
Ira Rothken, attorney for TorrentSpy, said Monday that the decision to shut off U.S. residents will not affect the company's appeal of a recent magistrate judge's order that it hand over user information from the RAM on the company's computers.
"This is a wake-up call to citizens and Internet users that their privacy isn't protected as well as they might have thought," Rothken said in an interview with CNET News.com. "Google, Yahoo and other search engines should be very concerned. One day these attacks on privacy will likely affect them."
See more CNET content tagged:
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Lets sue Microsoft, their OS allows to play the material.
Lets sue LCD monitor manufacturers, they have not asked Hollywood whether they can show it.
Is this the way?
--
maf
Oh, wait...
entirely..
Good luck.
THANKS MPAA/RIAA!
- Be careful.
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by ralfthedog
August 29, 2007 9:38 AM PDT
- The MPAA/RIAA may sue News.com and force them to reveal the names and locations of individuals posting opinions they disagree with.
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See all 21 Comments >>I am an individual who spends a great deal of money on movies. I do not like piracy, however I feel that it is no longer immoral to steal from the MPAA. It is still illegal, just not immoral.
I think the best solution to this mess is to stop going to or purchasing movies, and start reading more books.