Investigators claim to have recorded almost 100,000 instances of iiNet users making available online unauthorised copies of films and TV programs from the film studio’s catalogues, lawyers for the film industry said in court today…

“By making those films available in those…instances, iiNet customers invited any and every user of the freely available BitTorrent software program to download any and every part of those infringing copies,” the industry’s lawyers said in opening remarks.

AFACT accuses iiNet’s customers of using bittorrent traffic to “steal” copyrighted content, and proposes that iiNet should filter this traffic and disconnect users who file-share. This case is the first of its kind in Australia, and will set the legal precedent for cases in the future. If iiNet lose this one, then most Australian Bittorrent users will have to find a different solution.

Is it morally acceptable to filter internet traffic? As an internet user, you are not paying for access to “the internet”, you are paying for access to a global network of protocols and equipment. This equipment joins together to create the internet. When certain providers start blocking certain pieces of software and protocols, the integrity of the internet is challenged. Americans in particular have problems with the concept of network filtering, because it imposes on their institutional right to free-speech. (After all, isnt internet traffic only a means of transmitting information, regardless of protocol?)

NET NEUTRALITY [wikipedia] A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on content, sites, or platforms, on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, and on the modes of communication allowed, as well as one where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.

Blocking bittorent is only a band-aid fix for a much larger problem (the equivelant of a government blocking white vans from driving on the roads, “because most drugs are transported in white vans, and stopping white vans from driving on our roads will eliminate the drug problem”).

No matter what happens, piracy will only continue to grow in popularity, there will always be new ways to share content. Most internet users will remember napster [wikipedia], and what happened to illegal file sharing when it was shut down? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. File sharing is more popular today that it has ever been, which leads us to ask, will shutting down bittorrent traffic stop file sharing?

I would have to say: no. There are always new technologies, new workarounds and legal loop-holes. Downloaders will always find a way to download. And yet we are posed with the question: Why will file sharing continue to grow regardless of bittorrent’s future?

Most people I know do not shoplift, do not steal cars and most certainly do not snatch-bags. Yet, many of my friends share files. The law is supposed to be a moral reflection of society, laws regarding file sharing are supposed to represent the morals of its end-users. But here we are, downloading entire Michael Jackson discographies and new release blockbusters with a single click. Many bittornent users would tell you that Paying $44 for a BluRay movie is ridiculous, and that the money-hungry corporations and stars should sell their works cheaper (I bet people wouldn’t bother downloading new-release movies if they were sold for $9.99 at the local Coles)

So on one hand we have money-hungry multi-billion dollar companies “defending their rights”, and on the other side the end users are defending their right to freedom-of-speech and network-neutrality. Downloaders are going to continue downloading music, movies and TV shows, because on a moral level they diagree with the law and do not believe it to be fair.

Will the legal system sell-out to corporations? After all, the legal system is supposed to serve the people, not the corporations. The Australian legal system ESPECIALLY does not serve hollywood or the RIAA.

Also worthy of  watching: The IT crowd: File sharing

This is all my personal opionion, I do not condone file sharing in any way.

I do condone questioning the status-quo.

The house I am staying in is very nice. Its a three story, with about six bedrooms and three living areas. The backyard is MASSIVE (the area would be the same area the house takes up), and contained within one corner are in chickens. (Yes, people in the city have chooks! shock horror i know). Also, three dogs and several birds. There was once a rabbit, but it met a tragic end too explicit for wordpress (okay it ran away, but i had you going).

The house itself is located in Rouse Hill (one of those newly developed areas), about 10 minutes from Norwest where Hillsong is. There is a massive shopping centre here (its supposed to be one of the biggest in Sydney when its done). Really modern with timber glass architecture. There were heaps of security guards (i saw 5 in a 50m stretch) and I couldn’t figure out why, but later I read in the paper that there was a bomb threat there last week.

The family is wonderful. Dee and John are the parents (middle aged, very nice people) who have five kids (I think? I keep losing count) three boys aged 17, eight and six and two girls aged 16 and six.

I am missing everyone at home, especially mum and the Taylors. Mum is having her knee replacement tomorrow, Hillsong is praying for a miracle recovery.

Tomorrow I finally get to actually start studying. I can’t wait. This is it, the beginning of a change in me that will be irreversible. After years of waiting I finally get to learn bible. Im majoring in TV and media for the first year, seeing as that is where my gifting is. No telling where God will take me.

Someone is knocking on the door, better finish up (and explain to them why I had the computer in the bathroom, lol)

–Alex