POPCORN TIME > Torrents made simple as Netflix?! (1 Viewer)

[Wooderson]

Utubeofire wants registration for 14 day trial. Is this a paid service?

youTube

On

Fire

My kids watched frozen today. And before anyone gets upset, we have already pre ordered the blu ray and digital version. Don't plan on canceling it either

I also get the 14 day registration

 

[Wooderson]

Utubeofire wants registration for 14 day trial. Is this a paid service?

youTube

On

Fire

My kids watched frozen today. And before anyone gets upset, we have already pre ordered the blu ray and digital version. Don't plan on canceling it either

I also get the 14 day registration

Strange - Wolf of Wall Street I get the registration deal. American Hustle I don't.

 

[Hilts]

Not trying to be all high and mighty. The movie business is the business I'm in.

"Everybody's doing it."

"People steal from me so I'm going to get mine."

"Those big movie studios won't miss a few bucks."

"I wouldn't have paid anything to watch it anyway so they didn't lose any money on me."

"Movie tickets, popcorn and soda prices are crazy high so it serves them right."

"If they don't want me to steal it, stop me."

"If they didn't pay actors and actresses so much money, prices would be reasonable and I wouldn't have to steal it."

Whichever justification you want to make is fine. A thief is a thief; it doesn't matter if it's a dollar or a million dollars. It's a matter of character.

I'm not going to criticize you for drawing your moral line in the sand wherever it is you draw it. If you feel this is wrong that's fine. It may be wrong but it is not theft. When you steal something, that means the previous owner no longer has the item(s). That's not what happens with pirating.

 

[Raider Nation]

Welp, looks like its time to finally give in and purchase a VPN subscription.

Don't bother - it doesn't work. :(

I logged in from five or six different locations around the country, and tried a couple out of the country as well. It never gets past the buffering stage. But when I disconnect the VPN, the movies download instantly for my own IP.

 

[drummer]

Who still torrents?

 

[Daywalker]

A lot easier to justify, to yourself, pirating when all these media companies are merging and screwing everyone. You act above the law then their is no law.

Percentage of people going to steal regardless. But when you flaunt it in everyone's face you open the floodgates.

Rip everyone off on cable? Ok, I'll use someone's HBOGO password.

 

[culdeus]

10 years ago you would have been arrested for providing the service that for 10 bucks a month you could get all the music you could want right when it came out.

Today we call that Spotify. It's just a matter of time the studios sign on for something like that.

 

[Wingnut]

Utubeofire wants registration for 14 day trial. Is this a paid service?

youTube

On

Fire

My kids watched frozen today. And before anyone gets upset, we have already pre ordered the blu ray and digital version. Don't plan on canceling it either

I also get the 14 day registration

Strange - Wolf of Wall Street I get the registration deal. American Hustle I don't.

did you scroll down a bit? I haven't registered and just below the featured section at the top I see a Blu-Ray section where all the movies are listed at 1080...American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, Captain Phillips, Catching Fire, etc is there...below that, in the Top Rated section is 12 Years a Slave (720) etc...

 

[Otis]

I've only torrented stuff I would've never bought in the first place.

Oh well then by all means.

 

[Otis]

A lot easier to justify, to yourself, pirating when all these media companies are merging and screwing everyone. You act above the law then their is no law.

Percentage of people going to steal regardless. But when you flaunt it in everyone's face you open the floodgates.

Rip everyone off on cable? Ok, I'll use someone's HBOGO password.

Ah yes, the media companies "screwing everyone" again. Seems like another reasonable justification.

 

[Otis]

You all seem pretty cool with theft.

Do you steal in person from bricks and mortar businesses as well? Do you or do you allow others to steal from where you work?

Im so glad one of you people finally showed up in here to set us horrible people straight.

Nobody said anyone is "horrible." You're just ok with stealing, and you find a variety of ways to justify it to yourselves. Is that "horrible"? Probably not. But it is what it is.

 

[Wingnut]

Why do some people care what other people do? Those that don't pirate movies, good for you. Those that do, good for you. Ive got better things to do than sit on a soap box and judge other people.

 

[Wingnut]

Who still torrents?

I do. I'm not real savvy when it comes to this kind of stuff. Hell, my Galaxy S3 is still running stock ROM with Touchwiz because I'm too scared to mess with it. I did root it though. Baby steps, man. Baby steps.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

Otis,

The clock is ticking down on your chosen "buggy whip" career path. I hope you can retire before the end is here, unlike the "typesetters" in my extended family. The illusion (legal or otherwise) that IP has ever existed, ever could exist will fade away as just another causality of technology, and society will be the better for it.

And no I don't torrent.

 

[Johnny Rock]

Not trying to be all high and mighty. The movie business is the business I'm in.

"Everybody's doing it."

"People steal from me so I'm going to get mine."

"Those big movie studios won't miss a few bucks."

"I wouldn't have paid anything to watch it anyway so they didn't lose any money on me."

"Movie tickets, popcorn and soda prices are crazy high so it serves them right."

"If they don't want me to steal it, stop me."

"If they didn't pay actors and actresses so much money, prices would be reasonable and I wouldn't have to steal it."

Whichever justification you want to make is fine. A thief is a thief; it doesn't matter if it's a dollar or a million dollars. It's a matter of character.

I'm not going to criticize you for drawing your moral line in the sand wherever it is you draw it. If you feel this is wrong that's fine. It may be wrong but it is not theft. When you steal something, that means the previous owner no longer has the item(s). That's not what happens with pirating.

Please. What if from the comfort of your home you steal copies of the plans and schematics for the next F-30 fighter jet with cloaking capability and Warp Drive? Then you make and sell these jets to Israel, Great Britain and Japan. USA Defense Contractor Co. still owns the plans and has them physically on their HD, so you didn't "really" steal anything, right?

 

[mquinnjr]

Who still torrents?

I like to have archived copies of movies/shows that I like as my own personal on demand, as I stream directly to my WDTV Live device connected to my TV and media server. Can't do that with Flash sites, at least not as well. I technically can with Apple TV mirroring, but the protocol Apple TV uses is less than ideal and is not a smooth video watching experience.

For all the folks stating this is stealing IP, I pay between DirecTV and Sirius XM ~ $100/month for the right to watch licensed movie, TV, music, and sports content. That's $1,200/year. Yeah, I'm not waking up in night sweats worrying about who I'm stealing from when I save something that "might" be copyrighted via BitTorrent.

ETA: Forgot Spotify, that's another $10 that I pay every month.

 

[jamny]

I've never downloaded music or movies illegally, partially because I'm too afraid of getting hacked or getting a virus but mostly because it's not that important to me. There are enough streaming options to listen to any music I want and if I really want it, I'd rather shell out some money to support a musician. As for movies, there's nothing I can't wait for on Netflix and I rarely watch a movie more than once so I don't need to own it.

I'll take the good karma.

 

[NewlyRetired]

As others have mentioned peerblock is pretty much useless.

If you want privacy for any reason, get a VPN, and don't use the free ones as they basically suck.

The VPN I have been using costs a little over $3 per month and has been flawless. It works on both my desktop and my ipad. I have been using it for over a year now.

 

[Otis]

Otis,

The clock is ticking down on your chosen "buggy whip" career path. I hope you can retire before the end is here, unlike the "typesetters" in my extended family. The illusion (legal or otherwise) that IP has ever existed, ever could exist will fade away as just another causality of technology, and society will be the better for it.

And no I don't torrent.

I promise you I'm not overly concerned about our patent system becoming defunct in my lifetime.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I've never downloaded music or movies illegally, partially because I'm too afraid of getting hacked or getting a virus but mostly because it's not that important to me. There are enough streaming options to listen to any music I want and if I really want it, I'd rather shell out some money to support a musician. As for movies, there's nothing I can't wait for on Netflix and I rarely watch a movie more than once so I don't need to own it.

I'll take the good karma.

You realize The Walking Dead comics thread you manage is illegal right?

 

[Otis]

Why do some people care what other people do? Those that don't pirate movies, good for you. Those that do, good for you. Ive got better things to do than sit on a soap box and judge other people.

I don't think anyone is telling you not to do it. Do as you please. Steal away. I just think the justifications people use to make themselves feel better about it (and it's the same ones time and again) are pretty disingenuous.

 

[hxperson]

Who still torrents?

At this stage in the torrenting game, you are just asking to be sued if you are still torrenting without hiding behind a VPN. I think its careless and the risk is not worth the reward imo, when you have many other options available out there at minimal incremental cost (like a VPN, newsgroups, or the legal streaming options).

mquinnjr, Wingnut, et al - I would highly advise you look into using newsgroups instead or at least a VPN (if you haven't already). They will cost you $100/yr or less, but will be well worth it for the lack of worry, faster speeds (for newsgroups) and much lower downside risk.

 

[Dentist]

I've never downloaded music or movies illegally, partially because I'm too afraid of getting hacked or getting a virus but mostly because it's not that important to me. There are enough streaming options to listen to any music I want and if I really want it, I'd rather shell out some money to support a musician. As for movies, there's nothing I can't wait for on Netflix and I rarely watch a movie more than once so I don't need to own it.

I'll take the good karma.

You realize The Walking Dead comics thread you manage is illegal right?

i'm not a walking dead fan or aware of the thread, but what is illegal about it?

 

[jamny]

I've never downloaded music or movies illegally, partially because I'm too afraid of getting hacked or getting a virus but mostly because it's not that important to me. There are enough streaming options to listen to any music I want and if I really want it, I'd rather shell out some money to support a musician. As for movies, there's nothing I can't wait for on Netflix and I rarely watch a movie more than once so I don't need to own it.

I'll take the good karma.

You realize The Walking Dead comics thread you manage is illegal right?

Of course. It was made readily available so I didn't fear getting hacked or a virus. I would never have sought them out because I don't know enough about torrents, etc.

 

[[icon]]

Not trying to be all high and mighty. The movie business is the business I'm in.

"Everybody's doing it."

"People steal from me so I'm going to get mine."

"Those big movie studios won't miss a few bucks."

"I wouldn't have paid anything to watch it anyway so they didn't lose any money on me."

"Movie tickets, popcorn and soda prices are crazy high so it serves them right."

"If they don't want me to steal it, stop me."

"If they didn't pay actors and actresses so much money, prices would be reasonable and I wouldn't have to steal it."

Whichever justification you want to make is fine. A thief is a thief; it doesn't matter if it's a dollar or a million dollars. It's a matter of character.

I'm not going to criticize you for drawing your moral line in the sand wherever it is you draw it. If you feel this is wrong that's fine. It may be wrong but it is not theft. When you steal something, that means the previous owner no longer has the item(s). That's not what happens with pirating.

Please. What if from the comfort of your home you steal copies of the plans and schematics for the next F-30 fighter jet with cloaking capability and Warp Drive? Then you make and sell these jets to Israel, Great Britain and Japan. USA Defense Contractor Co. still owns the plans and has them physically on their HD, so you didn't "really" steal anything, right?

So we're selling this stuff now?

 

[Dentist]

As others have mentioned peerblock is pretty much useless.

If you want privacy for any reason, get a VPN, and don't use the free ones as they basically suck.

The VPN I have been using costs a little over $3 per month and has been flawless. It works on both my desktop and my ipad. I have been using it for over a year now.

who do you use, what does it do for you, and how do you know it has been flawless?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Who still torrents?

At this stage in the torrenting game, you are just asking to be sued if you are still torrenting without hiding behind a VPN. I think its careless and the risk is not worth the reward imo, when you have many other options available out there at minimal incremental cost (like a VPN, newsgroups, or the legal streaming options).

mquinnjr, Wingnut, et al - I would highly advise you look into using newsgroups instead or at least a VPN (if you haven't already). They will cost you $100/yr or less, but will be well worth it for the lack of worry, faster speeds (for newsgroups) and much lower downside risk.

Do people actually get sued still? From what I've read, that mass suits are getting thrown out and becoming harder and harder to file.

Has anyone in Canada ever been sued for torrents/illegal downloads?

 

[AcerFC]

Just curious

When is it not stealing. I assume when it comes out on netflix or cable and you subscribe to those. Or when you own the DVD

So, lets say I buy the Frozen DVD (which I have), but dont have it on me and my kids want to watch it. Is it stealing if I watch it on the site previously mentioned (not torrent, web based)

 

[mquinnjr]

As others have mentioned peerblock is pretty much useless.

If you want privacy for any reason, get a VPN, and don't use the free ones as they basically suck.

The VPN I have been using costs a little over $3 per month and has been flawless. It works on both my desktop and my ipad. I have been using it for over a year now.

who do you use, what does it do for you, and how do you know it has been flawless?

I read up on some PC Magazine VPN provider reviews last night, and there seems to be no clear cut winner that you "just use" (I also have an iMac, so my list is shorter, just need to spend more time investigating). The providers all seem to have good and bad aspects, to the point of being . Also read some horror stories of people not being satisfied with service, and having their money jacked vs. a "worry-free guarantee." For instance, first user comment on the PC Mag review of ProXPN states http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405468,00.asp

Never sign up for their paid service. Their customer service is horrible, and it was a nightmare to cancel the service. After cancelling 6 months ago, they still charge me for the service.

I get the "don't without a raincoat" aspect of using a VPN for torrent downloads, just having a hard time locking onto a VPN provider that won't cut my speeds in half to work or cause me a headache with the subscription.

 

[hxperson]

Who still torrents?

At this stage in the torrenting game, you are just asking to be sued if you are still torrenting without hiding behind a VPN. I think its careless and the risk is not worth the reward imo, when you have many other options available out there at minimal incremental cost (like a VPN, newsgroups, or the legal streaming options).

mquinnjr, Wingnut, et al - I would highly advise you look into using newsgroups instead or at least a VPN (if you haven't already). They will cost you $100/yr or less, but will be well worth it for the lack of worry, faster speeds (for newsgroups) and much lower downside risk.

Do people actually get sued still? From what I've read, that mass suits are getting thrown out and becoming harder and harder to file.

Has anyone in Canada ever been sued for torrents/illegal downloads?

Not sure if anyone has been sued yet. But I believe Voltage has won a court order to force Teksavvy to reveal the IP addresses of some of its users, presumably to go after individuals who torrented their movies during a specified time period (largely Hurt Locker). From what I understand, however, in that same court order, the Courts ruled that any "demand letters" (essentially lawsuit letters) by Voltage would have to be vetted by the Courts before they can be sent to the individual users. Also, I believe there is a cap on damages on these kinds of lawsuits of $5,000/IP or something like that. IMO, both the "vetting" step and the $5K cap are major inhibitors to IP trolls and major studios to pursue significant lawsuits in Canda. Nonetheless, I still would prefer to stay completely clean, if I have options to do it for less than $100/year.

Note that all of this is information just my gleaning from news articles and internet forums and I don't have any first hand knowledge of this, nor have I read any of the judgements.

 

[jamny]

Just curious

When is it not stealing. I assume when it comes out on netflix or cable and you subscribe to those. Or when you own the DVD

So, lets say I buy the Frozen DVD (which I have), but dont have it on me and my kids want to watch it. Is it stealing if I watch it on the site previously mentioned (not torrent, web based)

I think it's a form of stealing but it's the price of business for the movie studios. They need to be diligent and shut sites like that down. As has been stated, it's not always bad for them either and they have to keep adjusting into the changing environment. Eventually everything will be released at the same time, from in theaters to DVD's and streaming.

 

[Dentist]

Just curious

When is it not stealing. I assume when it comes out on netflix or cable and you subscribe to those. Or when you own the DVD

So, lets say I buy the Frozen DVD (which I have), but dont have it on me and my kids want to watch it. Is it stealing if I watch it on the site previously mentioned (not torrent, web based)

So many gray areas in the world of digital stuff it's ridiculous.

I think the hard core types will say it's always illegal to download no matter what.

There should just be a torrent "library" (with porn, tv, comic books, software and everything) and I'll pay a subscription or something

 

[NewlyRetired]

As others have mentioned peerblock is pretty much useless.

If you want privacy for any reason, get a VPN, and don't use the free ones as they basically suck.

The VPN I have been using costs a little over $3 per month and has been flawless. It works on both my desktop and my ipad. I have been using it for over a year now.

who do you use, what does it do for you, and how do you know it has been flawless?

You already got a good description of what the VPN does for you in the thread so I won't repeat it.

It is very simple to test your vpn to make sure your IP is correctly hidden.

The service I vetted was https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/

If you are interested in a review of the service to answer any lingering questions you have, this one was helpful to me when I was shopping.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414799,00.asp

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Who still torrents?

At this stage in the torrenting game, you are just asking to be sued if you are still torrenting without hiding behind a VPN. I think its careless and the risk is not worth the reward imo, when you have many other options available out there at minimal incremental cost (like a VPN, newsgroups, or the legal streaming options).

mquinnjr, Wingnut, et al - I would highly advise you look into using newsgroups instead or at least a VPN (if you haven't already). They will cost you $100/yr or less, but will be well worth it for the lack of worry, faster speeds (for newsgroups) and much lower downside risk.

Do people actually get sued still? From what I've read, that mass suits are getting thrown out and becoming harder and harder to file.

Has anyone in Canada ever been sued for torrents/illegal downloads?

Not sure if anyone has been sued yet. But I believe Voltage has won a court order to force Teksavvy to reveal the IP addresses of some of its users, presumably to go after individuals who torrented their movies during a specified time period (largely Hurt Locker). From what I understand, however, in that same court order, the Courts ruled that any "demand letters" (essentially lawsuit letters) by Voltage would have to be vetted by the Courts before they can be sent to the individual users. Also, I believe there is a cap on damages on these kinds of lawsuits of $5,000/IP or something like that. IMO, both the "vetting" step and the $5K cap are major inhibitors to IP trolls and major studios to pursue significant lawsuits in Canda. Nonetheless, I still would prefer to stay completely clean, if I have options to do it for less than $100/year.

Note that all of this is information just my gleaning from news articles and internet forums and I don't have any first hand knowledge of this, nor have I read any of the judgements.

That is the same stuff I've heard of. Nothing to worry about IMO. For the one in a million chance to get hit with a $5K fine, I'll risk it.

ETA: Does unblock-us work as a VPN for torrents?

 

[NewlyRetired]

I've never downloaded music or movies illegally, partially because I'm too afraid of getting hacked or getting a virus but mostly because it's not that important to me. There are enough streaming options to listen to any music I want and if I really want it, I'd rather shell out some money to support a musician. As for movies, there's nothing I can't wait for on Netflix and I rarely watch a movie more than once so I don't need to own it.

I'll take the good karma.

You realize The Walking Dead comics thread you manage is illegal right?

i'm not a walking dead fan or aware of the thread, but what is illegal about it?

Every link in the first post leads to an illegally downloaded copy of the comics.

 

[tonydead]

Utubeofire wants registration for 14 day trial. Is this a paid service?

youTube

On

Fire

My kids watched frozen today. And before anyone gets upset, we have already pre ordered the blu ray and digital version. Don't plan on canceling it either

I also get the 14 day registration

Click the you tube on fire website logo at the top of the page to get past the embedded adds on the home page.

 

[Todd Andrews]

Not trying to be all high and mighty. The movie business is the business I'm in.

"Everybody's doing it."

"People steal from me so I'm going to get mine."

"Those big movie studios won't miss a few bucks."

"I wouldn't have paid anything to watch it anyway so they didn't lose any money on me."

"Movie tickets, popcorn and soda prices are crazy high so it serves them right."

"If they don't want me to steal it, stop me."

"If they didn't pay actors and actresses so much money, prices would be reasonable and I wouldn't have to steal it."

Whichever justification you want to make is fine. A thief is a thief; it doesn't matter if it's a dollar or a million dollars. It's a matter of character.

I'm not going to criticize you for drawing your moral line in the sand wherever it is you draw it. If you feel this is wrong that's fine. It may be wrong but it is not theft. When you steal something, that means the previous owner no longer has the item(s). That's not what happens with pirating.

That is a very unsophisticated 19th century definition of theft. Of course, it is one that a thief would use who is trying to use linguistic slipperiness to justify his theft and redefine it as something else. It is also one that someone who knows less than nothing about US copyright law would use.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I get the "don't without a raincoat" aspect of using a VPN for torrent downloads, just having a hard time locking onto a VPN provider that won't cut my speeds in half to work or cause me a headache with the subscription.

Check the service I listed above. Pcmag talks about the speed.

I don't have a great download speed to begin with but in testing, I have a slightly higher download rate when the VPN is on, than I do with out it.

 

[Scoresman]

I've only torrented stuff I would've never bought in the first place.

Oh well then by all means.

Thanks for your permission. Was sweating it there for a while.

 

[tonydead]

google "lifehacker" along with "vpn" or "newsgroup" to learn more about either and to find some recommended clients

 

[NewlyRetired]

[

ETA: Does unblock-us work as a VPN for torrents?

It is very similar but to be completely safe so you don't have to think about it, a cheap VPN service is probably better for you.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Downside to watching a movie on youtube of fire?

I wouldn't be downloading anything, right?

 

[Uwe Blab]

As others have mentioned peerblock is pretty much useless.

If you want privacy for any reason, get a VPN, and don't use the free ones as they basically suck.

The VPN I have been using costs a little over $3 per month and has been flawless. It works on both my desktop and my ipad. I have been using it for over a year now.

who do you use, what does it do for you, and how do you know it has been flawless?

It is very simple to test your vpn to make sure your IP is correctly hidden.

Explain this to me as if I am shuke, plz.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

[

ETA: Does unblock-us work as a VPN for torrents?

It is very similar but to be completely safe so you don't have to think about it, a cheap VPN service is probably better for you.

I'm not very concerned with safety. I'm going to be getting unblock-us when I cancel my cable so I can access the US Netflix library and in-market MLB.tv and League Pass games. If it works for torrenting, it is a plus.

 

[mquinnjr]

Just curious

When is it not stealing. I assume when it comes out on netflix or cable and you subscribe to those. Or when you own the DVD

So, lets say I buy the Frozen DVD (which I have), but dont have it on me and my kids want to watch it. Is it stealing if I watch it on the site previously mentioned (not torrent, web based)

I think it's a form of stealing but it's the price of business for the movie studios. They need to be diligent and shut sites like that down. As has been stated, it's not always bad for them either and they have to keep adjusting into the changing environment. Eventually everything will be released at the same time, from in theaters to DVD's and streaming.

Right or wrong, I think it's the value proposition to the consumer in how you package the content, along with the price for the consumer to consume it, which is the key to kill pirating music and video.

For instance, I have Spotify for $10/month. It is an awesome service. I haven't torrent downloaded music since I started subscribing. The price point, delivery method, and experience are all excellent, and there is no limit I've experienced when I want to listen to copyrighted music, it is right there for my consumption.

Now for video, completely different ball game. I subscribe to basic DirecTV because I have to for the live sports that I want to watch in top quality with no lag. For TV/movie content, I'd say when a service that "does it all for a price" for TV and movies just like Spotify emerges at a reasonable price point, I will buy it and not need to torrent download what I want to watch and when. I've tried Netflix and Hulu, and cancelled both. They're great for "some, not all" TV show content, but the movie selection is pretty horrendous and not all TV content is carried.

When the content providers figure this out for TV shows and movies as Spotify did for music, at that point will they minimize TV/Movie pirating, and get consumers' money for it.

 

[hxperson]

Who still torrents?

At this stage in the torrenting game, you are just asking to be sued if you are still torrenting without hiding behind a VPN. I think its careless and the risk is not worth the reward imo, when you have many other options available out there at minimal incremental cost (like a VPN, newsgroups, or the legal streaming options).

mquinnjr, Wingnut, et al - I would highly advise you look into using newsgroups instead or at least a VPN (if you haven't already). They will cost you $100/yr or less, but will be well worth it for the lack of worry, faster speeds (for newsgroups) and much lower downside risk.

Do people actually get sued still? From what I've read, that mass suits are getting thrown out and becoming harder and harder to file.

Has anyone in Canada ever been sued for torrents/illegal downloads?

Not sure if anyone has been sued yet. But I believe Voltage has won a court order to force Teksavvy to reveal the IP addresses of some of its users, presumably to go after individuals who torrented their movies during a specified time period (largely Hurt Locker). From what I understand, however, in that same court order, the Courts ruled that any "demand letters" (essentially lawsuit letters) by Voltage would have to be vetted by the Courts before they can be sent to the individual users. Also, I believe there is a cap on damages on these kinds of lawsuits of $5,000/IP or something like that. IMO, both the "vetting" step and the $5K cap are major inhibitors to IP trolls and major studios to pursue significant lawsuits in Canda. Nonetheless, I still would prefer to stay completely clean, if I have options to do it for less than $100/year.

Note that all of this is information just my gleaning from news articles and internet forums and I don't have any first hand knowledge of this, nor have I read any of the judgements.

That is the same stuff I've heard of. Nothing to worry about IMO. For the one in a million chance to get hit with a $5K fine, I'll risk it.

ETA: Does unblock-us work as a VPN for torrents?

I don't know. but honestly why bother with torrents? Newsgroups are encrypted, safer, and much much faster than torrents while giving you access to pretty much the same content. Also, you are only downloading and not uploading with newsgroups, so if the legal landscape changes dramatically, your potential liabilities are still very minimal (not sure what the statute of limitations are for this kind of infringement). Well worth it for $100/yr.

 

[AcerFC]

Downside to watching a movie on youtube of fire?

I wouldn't be downloading anything, right?

no, im watching at work right now

 

[Scoresman]

how does that site not get shut down?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Who still torrents?

At this stage in the torrenting game, you are just asking to be sued if you are still torrenting without hiding behind a VPN. I think its careless and the risk is not worth the reward imo, when you have many other options available out there at minimal incremental cost (like a VPN, newsgroups, or the legal streaming options).

mquinnjr, Wingnut, et al - I would highly advise you look into using newsgroups instead or at least a VPN (if you haven't already). They will cost you $100/yr or less, but will be well worth it for the lack of worry, faster speeds (for newsgroups) and much lower downside risk.

Do people actually get sued still? From what I've read, that mass suits are getting thrown out and becoming harder and harder to file.

Has anyone in Canada ever been sued for torrents/illegal downloads?

Not sure if anyone has been sued yet. But I believe Voltage has won a court order to force Teksavvy to reveal the IP addresses of some of its users, presumably to go after individuals who torrented their movies during a specified time period (largely Hurt Locker). From what I understand, however, in that same court order, the Courts ruled that any "demand letters" (essentially lawsuit letters) by Voltage would have to be vetted by the Courts before they can be sent to the individual users. Also, I believe there is a cap on damages on these kinds of lawsuits of $5,000/IP or something like that. IMO, both the "vetting" step and the $5K cap are major inhibitors to IP trolls and major studios to pursue significant lawsuits in Canda. Nonetheless, I still would prefer to stay completely clean, if I have options to do it for less than $100/year.

Note that all of this is information just my gleaning from news articles and internet forums and I don't have any first hand knowledge of this, nor have I read any of the judgements.

That is the same stuff I've heard of. Nothing to worry about IMO. For the one in a million chance to get hit with a $5K fine, I'll risk it.

ETA: Does unblock-us work as a VPN for torrents?

I don't know. but honestly why bother with torrents? Newsgroups are encrypted, safer, and much much faster than torrents while giving you access to pretty much the same content. Also, you are only downloading and not uploading with newsgroups, so if the legal landscape changes dramatically, your potential liabilities are still very minimal (not sure what the statute of limitations are for this kind of infringement). Well worth it for $100/yr.

Torrents are so quick and easy that I've never bothered to look for an alternative.

I really only use them for TV; I prefer to go rent a Blu-Ray for the once a month I watch a movie. Never does it take more than 5 minutes for an episode and I've never heard of a lawsuit for a tv shows.

 

[E-Z Glider]

Not sure about people getting sued, but my ISP threatened to cancel my service back in Nov and it was enough for me to stop using bitorrent.

Dear Comcast High-Speed Internet Subscriber:


Comcast has received a notification by a copyright owner, or its authorized agent, reporting an alleged infringement of one or more copyrighted works made on or over Comcast's High-Speed Internet service (the 'Service'). The copyright owner has identified the Internet Protocol ('IP') address associated with your Service account at the time as the source of the infringing works. The works identified by the copyright owner in its notification are listed below. Comcast reminds you that use of the Service (or any part of the Service) in any manner that constitutes an infringement of any copyrighted work is a violation of Comcast's Acceptable Use Policy and may result in the suspension or termination of your Service account.