RIAA Caught Pirating Torrents

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been caught downloading illegal music and TV shows.

It will be humiliating for the organisation, which has been active in prosecuting file sharers for stealing music online.

They were caught thanks to a new site called You Have Downloaded, which has been secretly tracking over 50 million IP addresses to see what people around the world have been illegally downloading. Check the site to see if your private information is available online.

After checking the RIAA through the site, it seems that someone using the RIAA internet connection has a penchant for crime dramas. Among the illegally downloaded content was five seasons of "Dexter", "Law And Order", and even some audio software according to Antiquiet.

According to the RIAA's own penalties, they would be liable for $150, 000 per downloaded item, or $9,000,000 in total.

We think this is a huge deal in the history of web culture. For the decade since Napster started the file sharing revolution, the RIAA has been actively against the changing digital landscape, and may have contributed the the music industry missing out on a big opportunity to monetize Napster before illegal filesharing became the norm.

Now it is in a difficult position, because it will never be able to prosecute others without being called hypocrites for downloading themselves. If they downloaded music, they might get away with calling it research - but downloading TV shows, when they are a music organisation, would seem inexcusable.

Do you think this opens the floodgates for more downloading, or has music streaming solved the long-term issues of filesharing? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Comments

[Pagan_Poetry]

Ahahahaha stupid *******s
All of these organizations are hypocritical

[Spartan101400]

LOL

[Zeppelin Addict]

Unreal.

[cfhdomination]

HAHAHAHA.....HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[GaryBillington]

someone using the RIAA internet connection

This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.

[Engel22]

Kiss you power and credibility goodbye, RIAA.

[Engel22]

*your

[Pagan_Poetry]

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection
This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.

The thing is the site shows all downloads on a single IP. It could easily have been more than one.

[Dregen]

laugh

[Burgery]

lol

[TheResults]

FUCKIN PWND!

[SchecterDean]

lol... "It was just research, I swear!"

[guitoorbenchi]

PeerBlock FTW!

[WD Punk]

it would make my day if Gene Simmons was caught doing this

[zgr0826]

And this is why I laugh at the RIAA.

[GaryBillington]

The thing is the site shows all downloads on a single IP. It could easily have been more than one.

Yes, but that still doesn't mean the organisation itself is guilty.

[peachesenregali]

So lets strike a deal, you forget and well forget...fair enough?

[justinb904]

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection
This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.

They won't even admit to that. Their claim is they're not responsible because some other 3rd party was using their network.

[Armagedn]

That's HILARIOUS.

Also, it says I haven't torrented/pirated anything! Uhhhhh if you say so...

[shwilly]

Now it is in a difficult position, because it will never be able to prosecute others without being called hypocrites for downloading themselves. If they downloaded music, they might get away with calling it research - but downloading TV shows, when they are a music organisation, would seem inexcusable.

Don't mean to sound like a dick but whoever wrote this is a bit too naive a person

As a any organisation with plenty o' experience when it comes to legal disputes the first thing they'll do is try and look if there's any way to dismiss this claim as false or misleading: for instance they might consult a few experts who'll back up claims like "it's impossible to prove whether the person who downloaded this material is truly an RIAA member" or "we suspect this whole case has something to do with a notorious hacker" or whatever...

(not that they showed any mercy when that case came up about an elderly lady who had allegedly downloaded thousands of tracks despite the fact that she didn't even own a computer, but that's beside the point...)

Next up, if these allegations prove to be indisputable they'll try to paint this whole calamity as an isolated case. The guy/lady responsible for the downloading will be sacked and their PR department will make sure to state that "the RIAA wishes to distance itself from blablabla..."

Does this hurt they're credibility? I would think so, but there's no way these guys are letting 1 person take down the whole institution. Waaay too much money involved for that...

[shwilly]

Also, I can't say I'm surprised to hear this news

Anyone seen that ridiculous movie with Jessica Biel about a freakishly intelligent jet fighter which eventually turns evil (duh) and also has a habit for downloading mp3s off the internet? That screenwriter was way ahead of his time

(Also, I believe the plane had a soft spot for Incubus :\ )

[ShevanelFlip]

OMG SCREW THERE GUY.

Adding to their already long list au faults, they can now had HYPOCRISY to that!

[ShevanelFlip]

but who can resist dexter??? :P

[dankhus]

It would be news worthy if the website in question wasn't so flawed. I tried it myself and it didn't return one single accurate result. As things stand right now, it's childish to even consider pointing fingers.

[Iliekgitaz]

Wow... this is just.... wow.

Well you know how the old saying goes "Practice what you preach."

[brokndwn06]

lol nice!

[taytay8b]

If the downloader is a single mom she's ****ed.

[ne14t]

That whole system is useless if you run a Dynamic IP because it will change every time you reconnect to your internet, so essentially the IP they log you can get one time and end up seeing the files that someone else downloaded when they were logged with that IP.

[Denjario]

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection
This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.

Funny, they've been saying that a single IP is enough evidence to prosecute and have been using that tactic to attempt to leech money out of everyone.

Have open WiFi and your neighbor is using your signal to download pirated content? They won't care, they'll sue your ass in a second.

The fact that this originates from their business should be enough to prosecute them. I hope the Dexter guys go after the RIAA and make an example out of them.

[BWynter]

This...may be the greatest thing I've heard all year.

[yoman297]

IT'S A CONSPIRACY

[rhs5110]

Hypocritical pigs

['93]

early xmas present?

[Gibson_SG_uzr55]

I don't even support pirating and this is one of the most glorious things I have read in a fortnight.

[burndttoast]

Denjario wrote:
The fact that this originates from their business should be enough to prosecute them. I hope the Dexter guys go after the RIAA and make an example out of them.

Sadly, unlike the broke-ass/cheap-ass people who download music (me included), the RIAA could probably just pay off the Dexter guys from all the money they won suing people downloading music. If they need more they'll just sue some more people. Easy peazy.

[hudsonstradlin]

only 480p dexter? noobs.

[goldenManticore]

That sight is bullshit. It said my IP address downloaded some movie file and I don't even torrent at all.

[60CycleHum]

I think I might cry.

[edgeyyz]

The RIAA needs to fall in a deep hole and never come out.

[RichD]

ne14t wrote:

That whole system is useless if you run a Dynamic IP because it will change every time you reconnect to your internet, so essentially the IP they log you can get one time and end up seeing the files that someone else downloaded when they were logged with that IP.

Wrong.
Your dynamic ip address still falls under your main ip address and only the last digits change.
Every 1p your router or whatever can all be linked to you.

[edgeyyz]

burndttoast wrote:

Denjario wrote:
The fact that this originates from their business should be enough to prosecute them. I hope the Dexter guys go after the RIAA and make an example out of them.Sadly, unlike the broke-ass/cheap-ass people who download music (me included), the RIAA could probably just pay off the Dexter guys from all the money they won suing people downloading music. If they need more they'll just sue some more people. Easy peazy.

They'd only have the money to pay because the RIAA doesn't pay the artists/labels that deserve the money from lawsuits.

[elcapitan1800]

justinb904 wrote:

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection
This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.
They won't even admit to that. Their claim is they're not responsible because some other 3rd party was using their network.

You are legally responsible for the content that passes through your network. If it is unsecure, or you are supplying access to a 3rd party, you are still responsible. Take it from someone who has paid $600 for supposed illegal downloading, I've done my research

[blenk]

The site says I'm in the city of London, UK. I live out side of Durham City in the North East of England, just a small 400+ Miles from London !

[StewieSwan]

Because a member of the staff = the organization

Muslism are terrorists
Gays have AIDS
Conservatives are racists

Boy oh boy I love generalizing people!

[true_bacon22]

That YOU HAVE DOWNLOADED site is such bullshit, I've never even fathomed downloading a J.LO torrent(despite the fact that all my internet is Mobile so I can't torrent at ALL), and then when I say remove me because you guys all eat horseshit, it won't let me...

[Masterofpirates]

The RIAA is completely retarded, but the fact that someone on their network did some torrenting doesn't mean that the entire organization is hypocritical. People want every reason they can to shit on the RIAA but the line of reasoning used in this article simply isn't fair.

[RockInPeaceDime]

GaryBillington wrote:

The thing is the site shows all downloads on a single IP. It could easily have been more than one.
Yes, but that still doesn't mean the organisation itself is guilty.

If the individual who committed the act (assuming it was one person) was acting in full capacity as an RIAA employee, the organization could reasonably be held liable. Regardless, the organization that wants to send people into bankruptcy over file uploading should have some measures and monitoring policies in place that prevent people on their network from illegal downloading.

Of course, they don't. They're hypocrites paid by major media companies to sue people for exorbitant amounts of money.

[Dave_Mc]

ahahahahaha that's awesome

[Ziggity]

Merry Christmas ****ers

[TTeddybear]

It would be more fun if they downloaded (gay)porn

[Shor-T Zero]

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection
This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.

No, see, now we get to use their logic (also shared by most of Congress, Faux News, etc.) against them!

[Metalmaniac816]

They messed up and this is going to spread fast! Ha ha

[Metalmaniac816]

true_bacon22 wrote:

That YOU HAVE DOWNLOADED site is such bullshit, I've never even fathomed downloading a J.LO torrent(despite the fact that all my internet is Mobile so I can't torrent at ALL), and then when I say remove me because you guys all eat horseshit, it won't let me...

HA ha someone is drowning in denial!! No one even asked you is you downloaded J.Lo LMAO no judgement here mate! No worries...
Bahahaha

[Metalmaniac816]

elcapitan1800 wrote:

justinb904 wrote:

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection
This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.
They won't even admit to that. Their claim is they're not responsible because some other 3rd party was using their network.

You are legally responsible for the content that passes through your network. If it is unsecure, or you are supplying access to a 3rd party, you are still responsible. Take it from someone who has paid $600 for supposed illegal downloading, I've done my research

This!!^

[burgernips]

Oopsie

[BOYERxBREAKDOWN]

INCEPTION

[Epi g-310]

elcapitan1800 wrote:

justinb904 wrote:

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection
This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.
They won't even admit to that. Their claim is they're not responsible because some other 3rd party was using their network.

You are legally responsible for the content that passes through your network. If it is unsecure, or you are supplying access to a 3rd party, you are still responsible. Take it from someone who has paid $600 for supposed illegal downloading, I've done my research

This person is correct. Learned the hard way when my brother torrented Skyrim at my house. It's a great scheme for the ISP's, too, because they can push secure wireless on you and charge you more "to ensure that the same mistake doesn't happen again." That way if it does, not only have they made extra dough by forcing you to use secure wireless, the RIAA/whoever else knows exactly whose ass to sue.

[kurtshapedbox]

Maniacal laugh. Maniiii-uh-cal laaaugh.

[koikomoru]

Burn you capitalist ****ers.

[crazysam23_Atax]

That's ironic.

[burndttoast]

edgeyyz wrote:

burndttoast wrote:

Denjario wrote:
The fact that this originates from their business should be enough to prosecute them. I hope the Dexter guys go after the RIAA and make an example out of them.Sadly, unlike the broke-ass/cheap-ass people who download music (me included), the RIAA could probably just pay off the Dexter guys from all the money they won suing people downloading music. If they need more they'll just sue some more people. Easy peazy.They'd only have the money to pay because the RIAA doesn't pay the artists/labels that deserve the money from lawsuits.

I'm not denying that.

[Minivirus2]

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection

This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.

Bang on! Prosecute the dumbass empoylee the same way you would any other file sharer. This wasn't the company doing it, it was one individual who clearly works there for the money and not the precedent. Can EVERYONE here, honestly say, that they agree 100% and follow through on their company's principles. I know, in my teens, BK would have kicked my ass for stealing food. Same logic applies here.

[anexiledone]

If I remember correctly according to all of the IRAA cases, the people who own the connection are the ones responsible for securing it and monitoring what people do on it, making the owner responsible for piracy on their IP. They've used this argument many times against people. So it applies to them aswell, as it was the IRAA's internet connection.

[slaveskinJACKET]

ne14t wrote:

That whole system is useless if you run a Dynamic IP because it will change every time you reconnect to your internet, so essentially the IP they log you can get one time and end up seeing the files that someone else downloaded when they were logged with that IP.

It uses MAC addresses, too. That's kind of like your computer's fingerprint.

So, it won't show the stuff you've downloaded prior to your IP address changing, but it also won't show things that someone else may have downloaded while using the same IP address... unless that person was also using the same device as you.

[slaveskinJACKET]

Minivirus2 wrote:

GaryBillington wrote:

someone using the RIAA internet connection

This only means they have a member of staff who was doing it, not that the organisation itself is guilty.

Find out who it was then fire them & sue them.

Bang on! Prosecute the dumbass empoylee the same way you would any other file sharer. This wasn't the company doing it, it was one individual who clearly works there for the money and not the precedent. Can EVERYONE here, honestly say, that they agree 100% and follow through on their company's principles. I know, in my teens, BK would have kicked my ass for stealing food. Same logic applies here.

READ THIS:

anexiledone wrote:

If I remember correctly according to all of the RIAA cases, the people who own the connection are the ones responsible for securing it and monitoring what people do on it, making the owner responsible for piracy on their IP. They've used this argument many times against people. So it applies to them aswell, as it was the RIAA's internet connection.

[baneofmorgoth]

WD Punk wrote:

it would make my day if Gene Simmons was caught doing this

Or Lars Ulrich.

[ReldvS]

lars already said he downloaded Death Magnetic before it came out. see That Metal Show with guest lars

[tophatguitar]

I would laugh so hard if their CEO was the one who downloaded

[Grif22]

For those who are getting strange results when they check your own IP address: Most end users will have a Dynamic IP, one that's often reassigned every time your modem connects to the internet. Most commercial internet service providers will also likely provide a Fixed IP address, so it's very, very likely that it was in fact someone using the RIAA's internet connection to download these torrents.

[boosted928]

Ohhh man that's funny. An employee of an organization hellbent on killing illegal downloading illegally downloading stuff XD

[Rule Britannia]

YESSSSS Score one for irony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2krXq8fw90

[oliwilton]

I can just imagine the employee who downloaded them.. "OH SHIT OH FUCK OH SHIT OH FUCK.."

[Woffelz]

The first news article on UG in a while that is worthy of my attention.

[jrcsgtpeppers]

im clean :cool:
although iv never used torrents. i just spend over $60 at rasputins yesterday. but this is like..the police committing crimes, or something like that.

[mattkendell]

They got me pirating 2 remixes...not even pirated lol I used a youtube downloader to get them, and they aren't sold anywhere. They didn't catch my downloading skyrim or anything lol silly people

[Bob.Loblaw]

I would be outraged... only if the You Have Downloaded site would be accurate, which it's not. It says I come from a village pretty far from mine, and probably has the downloads of everyone in that village, and mine. Seems pretty easily refutable.

[jthm_guitarist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJIuYgIvKsc

They have always been responsible

[.:*§c@rY*:.]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH this is amazing news!

[ds24601]

So they've risked all credibility downloading SEASON 5 of Dexter? Ouch.

[Bryc3e]

LMAO! That's so awesome.

[ChucklesMginty]

Hi. We have no records on you.

Oh thank f*ck...

[motorizer]

YOU CAN`T STOP US DOWNLOADING ..

ONE WILL FALL, MILLIONS WILL RISE

[WesCThomp]

This reminds me of politicians who preach one thing and then get caught in a scandle. I find it ironic and very funny.

[TheIceCreamMan]

TTeddybear wrote:

It would be more fun if they downloaded (gay)porn

Because that would mean they're a homosexual and therefore enjoy homosexual porn! It's so funny! Ha ha ha! Laugh at the fags! Ha ha ha!

[TheIceCreamMan]

Seriously, sorry to call this out, but why would making it gay porn specifically be funny?

[SkepsisMetal]

Well at least they weren't torrenting Pirates.
I imagine Jack Sparrow would be quite pissed off

[GeekInThePink]

Bazinga.

[brianfallen97]

and they tell us not to download illegally? damn hypocrites.

[sherry07]

Yeah.... According to You Have Downloaded, I live a good 3 states away from where I actually do, and I have only ever downloaded one file called Rebecca's social sex. Hmmm. Ah well.

[stonedhippos]

wow. i may have downloaded over $1000 in illegal content online and they didn't find one torrent on me xD use secured networks people

[stonedhippos]

stonedhippos wrote:

wow. i may have downloaded way over $900000 in illegal content online and they didn't find one torrent on me xD use secured networks people

if under RIAA penalties. damn i feel good.

[guitarist41]

TheIceCreamMan wrote:

Seriously, sorry to call this out, but why would making it gay porn specifically be funny?

Because homosexuality is hilarious.

[80'smetaladdict]

Wow the irony! for the RIAA.

[sewoo55]

Torrents for porn, CDs for music

[AntwanL]

"Who so ever is without sin may cast the first stone"
Except they've cast several million dollars worth of stones and now come to be just as sinful.
Sorry that was just the first thing that came to mind.
And if they try to pull the shit about "It wasn't us, someone used our network", seriously if the police came banging on your door those would be the first words out of your mouth, why would they get to get away with it??

[MidniteHaze]

Whoo! No records of anything DLd. I did DL 'Hate Train' from YouTube.. but I deleted it, then bought it.

[ibaneztron]

what's even funnier is that they were downloading the entire collection of dexter :L

[sheriff_nein]

sherry07 wrote:

Yeah.... According to You Have Downloaded, I live a good 3 states away from where I actually do, and I have only ever downloaded one file called Rebecca's social sex. Hmmm. Ah well.

the site is a joke, publicly. they actually do have databases of that information, but choose not to reveal it.

[AcousticMetal99]

the thing I find funny, is that the RIAA didn't catch whoever was torrenting themselves - don't they check their own connections & networks???

The site is silly though. And it is highly amusing

[howrylak1]

WD Punk wrote:

it would make my day if Gene Simmons was caught doing this

His son pretty much copied the drawing from a comic book and called it his own. http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/02/radical-halts-n ick-simmons-incarnate-amid-claims-of-plagiarism/