edotkyle Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 i woke up this morning to go to class and had three emails forwarded to me from the director of judicial affairs of my university. the letters were from HBO and said that my ip address was used to download three episodes of the wire using bittorrent. has anyone else run into this issue? if so, what are the chances that i'll actually be prosecuted??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Vivicidal- Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 (edited) The odds are slim, nevertheless, if you like the show, buy it - it supports the creators. Think about how many people download illegally - now think about how many have actually been sued, that said, they are catching up and (I assume) you were using the uni's connection - bad move. EDIT: I know this is *a bit* unclear, so I tried to clear it up. Edited April 1, 2008 by -Vendetta- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenMaster Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Buying any shows now would not excuse the accusations in a court. You can't say, well I bought it after I downloaded it. The DMCA is about sharing the files to those that presumably also do not own the files. IANAL, but from what I've read of these cases, the letters are generally a warning. Back off on downloading and you should be fine. These could also be hoax e-mails. Check your campus' rules on file sharing etc. If you face disciplinary action, you should know what you're walking into. The letters are usually only sent because the university, I guess, technically has to forward them to you. HBO probably doesn't know your name. Don't mention this too much to others to cover yourself. If the network follows up with a suit, go to a campus law office. They usually provide free advice to students or contact the EFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edotkyle Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Thanks for the advice drunkenmaster, i really appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selphj Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Until 3 years ago, I had been a network admin for a university for over a decade. Let me state right off the bat, that if these companies send a legal request to the university to obtain your name the university is required to provide it and they will usually do so without hesitating. I was the direct contact these companies sent the notices to. I knew which students were in deep trouble before anyone. I will tell you the way I always saw things play out. Most of the movie studio's (MPAA) always sent out cease and desists right off the bat. Basically, they want you to stop stealing their movies and if you do that they are happy. If they catch you doing it again, then you are probably looking at legal trouble. But the first time they see it, generally it's a scary looking cease and desist letter. You are probably fine IF you stop downloading stuff now. Now the music people don't play (the RIAA). They don't do cease and desists. If the RIAA catches you, they will send a legal request to the university to obtain your name so they can start a law suit immediately. We tried to tell students not to download stuff illegally, but who listens to that. You know how it is, college students always think they are smarter than those of us that have worked there for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macf13nd Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Until 3 years ago, I had been a network admin for a university for over a decade. Let me state right off the bat, that if these companies send a legal request to the university to obtain your name the university is required to provide it and they will usually do so without hesitating. I was the direct contact these companies sent the notices to. I knew which students were in deep trouble before anyone. I will tell you the way I always saw things play out. Most of the movie studio's (MPAA) always sent out cease and desists right off the bat. Basically, they want you to stop stealing their movies and if you do that they are happy. If they catch you doing it again, then you are probably looking at legal trouble. But the first time they see it, generally it's a scary looking cease and desist letter. You are probably fine IF you stop downloading stuff now. Now the music people don't play (the RIAA). They don't do cease and desists. If the RIAA catches you, they will send a legal request to the university to obtain your name so they can start a law suit immediately. We tried to tell students not to download stuff illegally, but who listens to that. You know how it is, college students always think they are smarter than those of us that have worked there for years. that's very interesting, actually... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Yeah, handy to hear the story from someone who dealt with this sorta thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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