TV Torrent Sites Hit

I don't condone the illegal downloading of TV programmes, but to be honest I don't have a problem with it either - it can be really useful - especially If you have forgotten to tape a show you wanted to see, or just generally missed something and didn't hear about it until afterwards.

But what I do disagree with is the heavy handed tactics of the MPAA in dealing with Bit Torrent link sites - for a start the sites aren't really doing anything wrong, if they are doing wrong then so is Google and Yahoo, in fact so is Microsoft - or any site with a search engine attached - they are also linking to files that might not be legal.

One of the most high profile sites to be hit is the incredibly easy to use BTeFnet, although their IRC channel is still open.

The MPAA are targetting six main sites, these are Shuntv.net, Zonatracker.com, Btefnet.net, Scifi-classics.net, Cddvdheaven.co.uk, Bragginrights.biz.

Of all of these sites the British hosted CDDVD Heaven is the one that still remains and are adament they will continue to remain - see a previous blog 'Let UK Law Decide' for my feelings on American associations trying to hit British sites and individuals with American law.

This all really started coming to a head after Rose (Doctor Who) was leaked weeks before it's UK release.

I understand why they want to take these sites down, it's fair play, copyright infringment and all that - but why not, instead of getting all heavy handed - do a Napster and go legal - provide a way for people to legally pay for and download the TV shows they want - when they want them - I'd happily pay.

The BBC are actually going to be pioneering this sometime, eventually with the Internet Media Player (iMP) that will allow licence fee payers to watch any show from any BBC Channel for up to seven days after original broadcast - all included in the licence fee - and even more revolutionary is the fact that the technology will use Peer 2 Peer for the distribution of the files.

Makes you proud to be British.

Practically every news agency has a piece on this story including the Media Guardian and BBC News Online, for other services go to Google News and do a search, to find bloggers talking about the story just go to Technorati and do a search for something like TV Torrent, it's late and I'm too tired to search for you - going to watch Enterprise then going to bed.

Related Tags [Technorati]
Doctor Who Broadband Download Bittorrent Television