iiNet claims ‘positve outcome’ in Dallas Buyers Club case despite order to hand over data
Dallas Buyers Club
The company which owns the rights to the movie Dallas Buyers Club has succeeded in its bid to force internet service providers (ISPs) to reveal the identity of customers who illegally downloaded and shared the film.
The watershed ruling on the “preliminary discovery” application, handed down yesterday in Sydney’s Federal Court, is expected to pave the way for other firms to take similar action and sue thousands of people for copyright breaches.
But despite the ruling, commentators have argued the result may not be as clear cut as it seems.
Arrrrr!
‘Tis a landmark case, sure, but I still be pirating on the high seas of torrent!
Raise ‘ye sails lads, the free content of ThePirateBay awaits!!
Good luck proving I downloaded it. I must have had the router password off at the time. Those bloody neighbours eh !
“I am comfortably satisfied that the downloading of a sliver of the film from a single IP address provides strong circumstantial evidence that the end-user was infringing the copyright in the film.” No it doesn’t. Feel sorry for anyone who has picked up a knife at a murder scene then !
Similarly, Wickstrom conceded that the company instructs lawyers to “dismiss” piracy conducted through open networks, because it is “too hard” to find the individual downloader.
“But I will say to the account holders, ‘Do something about your network, put a password on it’,” he said.
Damn my open network !
Wonder why only some subsidiaries of iiNet are caught up in this and not for example Westnet.
You never have a proper debate about this kind of theft online because online commenters are often the ones doing it. A bit like discussing the merits of rape in the fiddler wing of a prison.
But I see already that the cup of self-righteousness overfloweth.
All these people who have time to wait for a movie to download. I prefer to watch movies in a cinema. I don;t care how big your TV is in your McMansion, cinema is the best way to watch a movie. If I like the movie then I will buy the DVD or watch legally on VOD. Not paying to see a movie is theft, Pure an dsimple.
……Aye tis true Anonymous!
Arrrr!
What you self righteous content thieves don’t realize that if the people who make the films don’t make money on the films, they can’t make films, pay actors, pay crew or sustain a viable Industry.
Selfish people always cry foul when it comes to their own wants – what about the Writers, Directors and Crew who have poured their hard work into creating the great films we watch? They deserve reward for their efforts.
Then along comes some self important twat who thinks it is his right to steal the end result.
How about I come round to your place and steal your car just because I want to.
You can only conclude from most of the comments on here so far that smugly pirating posters would be willing to steal the DVD of said film, and presumably any others that take their fancy, from the shelves of a store if given half the chance. What about stealing a painting off a gallery wall? Go on – it’s only art, and maybe not very good art, be it music, films, literature or anything else. But someone has put time and effort into making it and should be able to charge for that time and effort. Oh, I hear these hypocrites say, that’s so last century and it’s not really stealing when you’re only grabbing digital thingamajigs out of the ether.
There is a difference between stealing something that is tangible ie. a car or physical artwork, vs downloading/streamling a movie/music. Just because its shared it doesnt mean its being taken from somewhere/someone else . 10 pairs or eyes and eyes on a screen does not mean its disadvantaged 1 pair of eyes/eyes. whereas stealing a car means someone is left without a car.
There are plenty of people who go over each other houses to watch foxtel, or a movie their friend just bought. Its even encouraged for people to get toegther every weekend for sport or for big sporting events to watch things together – so why arent foxtel angry at the fact that people are not paying for their sport subscripton?? The concept is the same thing.
who took this to court?
Why is ” the company who holds the rights to Dallas Buyers Club” never identified?
Is it Pinnacle Films, the Australian rights holders ??
hi
Can someone please explain why only iinet and some other minor ISPs are involved in this? Why not the big telcos?
thanks!
Nance
Let’s get this straight and I’ll use capitals for those of you who are DEAF !!! Downloading a movie is NOT STEALING. If you steal something you permanently deprive the owner of it. What we are talking here is BREACH OF COPYWRIGHT. In such a case whether the owner has lost anything is a legal argument to be had. If I had no intention to share with anyone else and would not have bought the movie or seen it in the cinema then exactly what has been lost by the owner hmmm ?
And for those holier than thou idiots commenting here I wonder if any of you have ever borrowed a book or DVD from a friend ? Did you send on the cost to the book or DVD company or movie studio ? No – but you people somehow think you are so much better than a pirate who is doing the same thing over via the internet instead of in person !!!
@ Bob,
You are welcome to come round my place, make an exact copy of my car and drive it away. (or better still stay at your place, make a replica and drive it)
No worries 🙂
@”What you self righteous content thieves don’t realize that if the people who make the films don’t make money on the films, they can’t make films, pay actors, pay crew or sustain a viable Industry.”
So what ? They’re all foreign anyway.
You wouldn’t steal a car… so watch this before you download a film illegally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEeaxI0OPU
@ Rob
Okay, so when you pirate a movie, or “borrow” it, as you would have us believe, do you “return” it when you’re finished watching it? Seeing that the owner/maker of that movie didn’t want you to pirate it – sorry, “borrow” it to use your terminology – in the first place, you’re stealing it. Naughty Rob. You’re hereby sentenced to 10 years of watching nothing but Australian free-to-air commercial television. That’s harsh. Also, if I borrow, to use the word correctly, a copyrighted tangible object – a book, CD, or DVD – from a friend more often than not it’s likely to have been paid for by someone somewhere along the way, although Rob might have different ideas about paying for such antiquated objects as well. Maybe he’s got a back room loaded with Bob Dylan bootlegs from really ancient times.
When I was little I used to put a “cassette” (look it up if you’re under 30) into my “boom box” (again) and press the “play and record” at the same time, on “80 hits in a row” off 2SM. This is NOTHING NEW. So what’d the difference? Same as it always was – when its overpriced and under-delivered, people will always find a better (and not always ethical) way.
@Bob & ZumaBeach…
You guys are stuck back in the 90’s. We are simply making copies of what we love as per the boombox example above.
I torrent movies, music and porn and I dont give a flying f**k about what you fun police have to say about it. Also, I’m with iiNet… they can throw as many letters as they want at me, Ill just put them in the trash.
Like that Blackbeard guy says above ‘ahoy mateys’
Just go to Bali, 50 cents for the dvd