Re:Torrentz Shuts Down, Largest Torrent Meta-Search Engine S...
by yoavm on Friday August 05, 2016 @11:09AM
(#12232870)
I think many of the copy-protection systems during the times of CDs & VHS were made exactly to prevent you from _sharing_ content with your friends & neighbors. I remember times when you couldn't use your own VHS to record television shows because they crippled the signal somehow. That was usually for your personal use only, and still, they called it "piracy" and "copyright infringement".
While putting it all under the label of "sharing" might not be 100% precise, this whole thing was a "problem" long before we could even dream about broadcasting anything.
How about we call it what it really is, Broadcast.
There's a distinct difference between sharing a couple of mixtapes with your friends at school, to broadcasting it all over the internet for millions of your "neighbors" to see.
I agree that the term "piracy" has been redifined to be a crime inline with rape or murder, which sucks; but let's not kid ourselves that publishing a public torrent for everyone to see is just "sharing".
The difference between sharing a half dozen copies to thousands/millions, is indeed broadcasting/publishing, and that IMO is the distinct difference that's conveniently overlooked in these debates.