Sopa & pipa

**Monseratto** · January 26th, 2012 10:02 AM

Next...physical counterfeit downloads.

[b]The Pirate Bay Offers Downloads of Physical Objects]/b]

By Angela Moscaritolo
January 25, 2012 10:14am EST

If The Pirate Bay has its way, users in the future will be able to get any physical item they want — such as car parts, shoes or even their lunch — by simply clicking their computer's print button.

The controversial Swedish file-sharing Web site this week began offering a new category of downloads called "physibles," or data files that deliver real, physical objects to anyone with a 3D printer. The site currently has a dozen physibles available for download, including a 3-dimensional model of a 1970 Chevelle Hot Rod, a whistle and a "tabletop wargaming robot model".

"We believe that the next step in copying will be made from digital form into physical form," a blog post at The Pirate Bay states. "We believe that in the nearby future you will print your spare sparts for your vehicles. You will download your sneakers within 20 years."

The site said it was considering temporarily renaming itself "The Product Bay," but added "we had no graphical artist around to make a logo. In the future, we'll download one."

3D printing is still in its infancy, though there has been an explosion in the variety and use of such devices, largely spearheaded by startups and DIYers, with some big companies like HP starting to get involved. 3D printers can be used to build physical objects from scratch—or rather, from a 3D file—out of a variety of materials, including plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass and even and even foodstuffs like cheese, icing, and chocolate. The material is laid down, layer by layer, to form the physical item.

HP, in partnership with Stratasys, has introduced color and monochrome Designjet 3D printers priced at approximately $17,500. The past couple of years have also seen the appearance of more affordable 3D printers, such as the MakerBot Replicator, which retails for $1,749 and can make shower curtains, rings, bath plugs, door knobs and more.

Meanwhile, The Pirate Bay, which was founded in 2003 and boasts 32 million users, is known as one of the largest enablers of illegal downloading in the world. The site and its creators have faced a myriad of legal troubles over the years. Earlier this month, a Dutch court ordered two Internet service providers in the Netherlands block customers from accessing the file-sharing site.

**Monseratto** · January 27th, 2012 10:50 PM

You think SOPA and PIPA are draconian...

Hawaii's proposed online tracking law comes under fire from ISPs, civil libertarians -- Engadget

There may be some trouble brewing in paradise, thanks to a seemingly draconian law currently under consideration in Hawaii's state legislature. If passed, H.B. 2288 would require all ISPs within the state to track and store information on their customers, including details on every website they visit, as well as their own names and addresses. The measure, introduced on Friday, also calls for this information to be recorded on each customer's digital file and stored for a full two years. Perhaps most troubling is the fact that the bill includes virtually no restrictions on how ISPs can use (read: "sell") this information, nor does it specify whether law enforcement authorities would need a court order to obtain a user's dossier from an ISP. And, because it applies to any firm that "provides access to the Internet," the law could conceivably be expanded to include not just service providers, but internet cafes, hotels or other businesses.

**safeorigin** · February 8th, 2012 11:41 PM

thought this might give some insights about intellectual property

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6wa9t5yPls]An Economist's Look at Intellectual Property Law - YouTube[/ame]

**safeorigin** · March 4th, 2012 01:17 PM

UK web surfers have caught a grim glimpse of the future with Internet users being threatened with 10 years in jail for “illegal downloading” after a prominent music file-sharing site was shut down shortly after Britain signed the notorious ACTA bill.

It is the first time such a move has been made against Internet users in the UK. The British government introduced regulations in 2009 enabling Internet providers to track users who downloaded illegal content from the web and disable their connection if warning letters had no effect. But signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has brought the conflict to a whole new level.

In Europe, people are taking to the streets in protest at the contradictory Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, with some countries refusing to sign it.

After hackers from the activist group Anonymous attacked practically all US government websites in retaliation, the authorities are now considering adopting their own home-grown anti-counterfeiting laws like PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) / SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).

In February, Britain's organized crime police shut down RnBxclusive.com, a prominent music file-sharing website with about 250,000 subscribers on Facebook alone and up to 70,000 visitors per day.

In fact, the British police effectively took on the role of personal enforcer to the recording industry, standing guard to protect corporate profits. However sad it might be for many, this is a part of a legal game between copyright owners and the police on the one hand, and defenders of the free Internet on the other.

Normally, the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) tackles crimes “that affect the UK and its citizens.” Now, it seems that downloading content from a file-sharing website has been put on a par with “Class A drugs, people smuggling and human trafficking, major gun crime, fraud and money laundering.”

The practices of SOCA, while enforcing its crackdown on “illegal downloading,” raises even more questions.

ACTA in UK: 10 years in jail for 'illegal downloads' — RT

**safeorigin** · March 16th, 2012 10:56 AM

Mark your calendars at July 12. MPAA and RIAA are collaborating with ISP's against file sharing

**Monseratto** · March 16th, 2012 11:14 AM

Pirate Bay is now into Magnet links instead of *******s. How will this circumvent the new laws?

**safeorigin** · March 16th, 2012 06:40 PM

Well the new laws are pretty vague especially with the "links" definition

Heck, seeing how ACTA is being pushed everywhere...

Normally, they'll just sniff the lines using IP filters and mail you warnings

Thus, more people are going encrypted p2p

The problem is, ISP's are now paid to use snooping(eavesdropping and surveillance) and encryption cracking

Network technicians are worried because it violates the 4th amendment

What's scarier is that it may also affect encrypted business transactions...