Should I stop using Kazaa?
 

I've seen a rash of reports about people who use Kazaa and other music download programs being sued if they don't stop downloading. I've become increasingly paranoid, should I delete all my music and never use it again. Help, your opinions are needed. Thanks in advance for all replies.

no need to delete your music (imo), but it might be a good idea to simply remove the program.

Don't delete all your music, thats silly. Just dont share your music in the program.

Delete all your music, RIGHT NOW! The RIAA is gonna come for you, don't mess with them! You don't want to get sued for 1 million dollars!

It might be a good idea to quit using Kazaa, but I dont see any reason to get rid of your music though.

I am still using Kazaa, but I'm no longer sharing files. I have no plans to stop using Kazaa, either.

How's the selection on there? Has this actually cut down on the # of people on there? or Is it up going strong as ever? There is one item that I want to download desperately, but I have been reluctant to even open kazaa, let alone use it.

I had no trouble finding the files I wanted, and it actually seemed like I was able to download the files quicker than usual.

Maybe one of you can help me. I have 0 files on my shared folder but it still says sharing 5 files. Is this normal?

Is mIRC safe? ;)

How the RIAA catches file swappers

The Recording Industry Association of America sued 261 alleged file swappers Monday, launching a legal campaign against ordinary Internet users that could ultimately result in thousands of additional lawsuits.
But are you at risk?

If you or a family member have used Kazaa or any other file-swapping application recently and have left your computer open to the Net, the answer is possibly--although the odds of being singled out among an estimated 60 million people using peer-to-peer software remain small. If you've kept thousands of songs in the file you're sharing with other file swappers, then the odds are a little better, though still slim.




Here's a quick look at how the RIAA has done its investigations and what kind of information it has used to find people and file Monday's lawsuits.

Step one: Finding file-traders isn't hard. Anybody who opens a shared folder on Kazaa, Morpheus or any other file-swapping network is susceptible to potentially prying eyes.

In the most recent wave of investigations, the RIAA has used automated tools that look for a relatively short list of files. When it finds a person sharing one or more of those files, it downloads all or many of them for verification purposes. A complete list of these target files is not available, but a sampling of files cited in the early lawsuits includes the following artists and songs:

• Bobby McFerrin, "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
• Thompson Twins, "Hold Me Now"
• Eagles, "Hotel California"
• George Michael, "Kissing A Fool"
• Paula Abdul, "Knocked Out"
• Green Day, "Minority"
• UB40, "Red Red Wine"
• Ludacris "Area Codes"
• Marvin Gaye, "Sexual Healing"
• Avril Lavigne, "Complicated"


This is far from a complete list, but if you've downloaded and shared any of those songs recently, you may be at greater risk of finding your way onto the RIAA's list.

Step two: The RIAA uses features within Kazaa, Grokster and some other software programs to list all the files available within a person's shared folder and takes screenshots of that information. As filed in court, that provides a record of what in some cases has been thousands of songs shared at once.

Step three: The RIAA's software records the Internet address associated with a computer that is sharing one of the copyrighted songs the organization is investigating. Some file-swapping programs try to hide this by using mechanisms such as proxy servers, but most downloads still expose this information.

Step four: According to information filed as part of a related lawsuit, the RIAA also has the ability to do a more sophisticated analysis of the files that have been downloaded. The group checks the artist's name, title, and any "metadata" information attached to the files, looking for information that may indicate what piece of software has been used to create the file or any other. Some files swapped widely on the Net include messages from the original person who created the MP3 file, such as "Created by Grip" or "Finally the Real Full CD delivered fresh for everyone on Grokster and Kazaa to Enjoy!"

The RIAA has also analyzed in detail some files' contents. The trade group has databases of digital fingerprints, or "hashes," that identify songs that were swapped online in Napster's heyday. Investigators check these fingerprints against those found in a new suspected file swapper's folder, looking for matches. A match means the file has almost certainly been downloaded from the Net, likely from a stream of copies dating back to the original Napster file.

Step five: The RIAA files a subpoena request with a federal court. The subpoena allows the group to go to an Internet service provider and request the name and address of the subscriber who's associated with the Net address that was used to swap files. A few Internet service providers (ISPs) have fought back against these requests, but most have been forced to comply with the RIAA's request.

Many ISPs notify their subscribers when a subpoena comes in that targets their information. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has set up a database that allows people to see whether their online screen name has been the target of one of these subpoenas.

The RIAA said it has filed more than 1,500 of these subpoenas to date.

Step six: Once the identity of the ISP subscriber has been exposed, the RIAA puts together all the information gleaned through the earlier technical investigation and files a lawsuit. In earlier cases, it has accepted settlement agreements that range between $12,000 and $17,000. In this case, it has accepted some settlement agreements for as little as $3,000.

No need to stop useing KaZaa or any other P2P service. File shareing is not against the law. Just make sure you don't trade music that falls under the RIAA's juristriction.


Edit - Great post Cungar

Of course, by using the program to get files, but not sharing files yourself, it sort of defeats the purpose of file-sharing. It's fine if enough people aren't concerned and continue to share while the rest just take. But the whole thing collapses if enough people stop sharing.

And that's what the RIAA is trying to achieve.

"Edit - Great post Cungar"

Although it is a direct cut and paste from a news site. Of course Cungar could have been the author of that article but I sincerely doubt it. Maybe a link to the site where the info was taken from would be more appropriate. Just my 2 cents

Same thing is going on with my laptop... well when I actually used kazaalite, I don't know what the heck I was sharing cause my shared folder is empty, but it still said I was sharing some files.

So anyone knows why it says sharing files even though the folder is empty, and how to stop this?

I don't know where his article is from, but here's a good one from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Aug28.html

From the menu bar, select "tools", "options", then select the "traffic" tab and check the box that says "Disable sharing of files with other Kazaa users". Then click "ok".

Thanks :)

LEECHES!

Regarding that article... why does it matter where the MP3 files the woman had came from?

How could the claim that she made the MP3s from her own CDs be a defense? That wouldn't give her the right to distribute them over a P2P network.

Why even bother looking for digital fingerprints on the files? If someone doesn't own the copyright, then they don't have the right to distribute the files. It doesn't matter where they came from.

Or is the RIAA started tring to go after people who simply have MP3s in their possession instead of just those who distribute them?

That article that was being discussed above, I read it from a link off the MSN page a few days ago.

Wow. I should be ok for a long while.

if you stop using kazaa, the terrorists win.