Thoughts on torrent sites

[Minimalist]

Come on, Chas. You are not that naive.

Here's one example of this bullshit.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2...nnovation/

I contributed a chapter focusing on a recent development that I find particularly alarming: the increasing use of harsh criminal penalties, including civil asset forfeiture, against online intermediaries. In the past, disputes between major content companies and companies that allegedly facilitate copyright infringement have been treated as civil disputes between private parties. Napster, for example, faced a lawsuit from major record labels, and had the opportunity to make its case in court before it was shut down.

In 2008, Congress passed the PRO IP Act, which for the first time allowed the use of civil asset forfeiture in copyright cases. This tactic, which has become infamous due to its abuse in drug cases, allows the police to seize property without convicting, or even indicting, its owner of any crime. The police have used this tactic with devastating effect against startups such as Megaupload, a popular file-sharing site that was shuttered by the federal government in January. The feds seized the Megaupload servers, all the firm’s assets, as well as the personal assets of founder Kim Dotcom. And they have charged Dotcom with criminal copyright infringement and are seeking his extradition from his home in New Zealand.

Rich corporations are turning the government into their thugs.