Hello I've seen the countless discussions on here about this topic but i dont think something of this nature has been discussed before. If you had a movie site with NO copyrighted pictures, made sure not to use the word "watch" and made a custom google search (you add movie sites to this) would anyone be able to tell you anything about it? Basically, you are providing a custom google search that searches websites that link to copyrighted videos. This site is protected by zangocash so be sure to use google chrome(so you dont have to install zango) to view it: linkbuzz.ca Would anyone be able to say anything about this?
If you hosted nothing, harboured no copyrighted material and linked to the films which are hosted else where, there is nothing to worry about, at all.
They said that about TV-Links. Streaming sites are a favourite target of the MPAA, and as such, regardless of law, it's a grey area. I wouldn't recommend US hosting, put it that way.
Glad someone sees it the way i see it ^^ Basically, instead of directly linking to copyrighted materials i am directing visitors (through the google search) to another website with links to the copyrighted materials. So in reality i'm not hosting or directly linking to anything copyrighted. I'm curious to hear everyone elses opinion on this ^^
Tv-links directly links to the copyrighted content even though they don't host it on their own server. I basically provide a customized search engine where users are directed to sites like tv-links (they are the ones linking to the content). so in reality i am basically just directing users to sites like tv-links instead of directing them to the copyrighted content. Depending on the opinions i get here i might further modify this site into a more "discuss your favourite movies fansite" to stay on the safe side. Provide a legal desclaimer page and even make a custom banner on the search page warning users to not search for copyrighted content as it is illegal. i'm curious to know everyone elses opinions
That may be true, but what happened to them in the end? Nothing. They're going to be back again soon Look at alluc.org, even allsp.com! they've been going for a long time. Just to be safe, use a server in some Eastern European country, or Scandinavian.
My view is that if you are not hosting illegal content then you are not breaking the copyright act but it is more to do with ethics than the law. Everyone who runs movie sites got scared when watch-movies.net went down, but as stated in the forum of their new site watch-movies-links.net they were simply tranferring to a new domain. Google host movies Youtube host movies I host links to movies.
alaas - why even build such a site?? Are you hoping to make money from adsense or something on it?? It doesn't seem like a site like you are proposing offers any real benefit to the viewer of your site at all..
UncleBS, movie sites can offer huge benefits to it's viewers such as not needing to download, not needing to hire a movie, not even needing to leave your house.
It's illegal. You are conspiring to defraud the owner of the material, on purpose. You can't claim you didn't know. You may get away with it, but if you are named as a conspirator in legal proceedings, the companies that bring the action will have an arsenal of legal teams, and previous judgments on their side. That is why everyone keeps saying to host offshore, to hide from the law...think about it. These type of sites don't make that much money to take the risk. Why don't you promote something that you know is legal....IM is IM, if you have the skills, it doesn't matter what the product is.
A load of crap hmansfield according to the UK copyright law: Read then oppinionate... Work is not being copied, lent, distributed, stolen if the movies are hosted from a 3rd party. Also, there IS money in hosting LINKS. If you are from outside of the UK and looking at doing familiar work, I advise you read the copyright act that applies to your country and work around it. As I said, if you are hosting information about films and links to other "information" or are streaming information from one site to another, you are NOT knowingly breaking the copyright act. You are streaming from a website that you presume is legal and pays full fee's to the rightful owners. Also, make sure that you give the correct owners of any titles the opportunity to ask for their material to be removed.
All very nice, but we are not talking about linking to Blockbuster or Netflicks, we are talking about linking to sites that are not paying royalties and are linking to downloads that are not sanctioned by the owner of the content, nor are they authorized resellers. If people want to play simpleton and go to court saying "I didn't know that they were linking to illegal downloads" go right ahead, but the bottom line is you do know, that is why you are asking. You cannot claim ignorance when you chose not to use an authorized dealer, and ignorance is no excuse and will not protect you from prosecution. Nobody posts on a forum, "Is if O.K. to link to Blockbuster?" because they know it is a legal and authorized site. Go ahead and act like you are sticking your head in the sand, and don't know and then try to explain how you make a living online, and never heard of copy write infringement, nor what companies are actual authorized dealers. If I was on the jury I would throw the book at you just for insulting my intelligence and wasting my time. Maybe you don't make any money for providing the link directly, but do you have advertisements on the site that provides the link ? Then you are profiting from providing the information. I hate these type of posts because people aren't looking for the truth, they are looking for a loophole to claim ignorance so they can do what they want anyway. If you are so worried, why not just get a real affiliate that pays royalties to the owners of the content ? All of these sites are the same, and there are hundreds of them going up and getting shut down everyday...it's the same old same old...talk about , or review the movie or the album and then a link to a rapishare download, totally screwing the artist. Some just post the title and the link with a site full of adsense. The purpose is obvious, this isn't new stuff here and this isn't some new idea that you just thought of, you are 10 years behind everyone else who thinks that what ever they justify in thier head will protect them from legal proceedings. Just open the phone book and call an entertainment lawyer, he/she will tell you in about 30 seconds that you are playing with fire.
Agreed. Right now is the time that artists are cracking down on these things, as well. If you're willing to take the risk, then more power to you. I suppose I'm a bit more risk-conscious than that, though.
So what are the benefits to the site owner? Certainly the negatives far outweight the positives. Why not disclose to us your country? I am sure you're in a place that copyright laws are laughable. But that's not the case for everyone. Some people live in a country where breaking copyright laws are serious. Hey...some people even have ethics about stealing from other people.
My country is the UK. My website is HOSTED in a country that does not adapt the copyright act. I did mention above about my view of it being more ethics than law. Everyone has different views about it. I am still to find a movie website that has been taken to court. Everyone says "Watch-movies.net" which is now "Watch-movies-links.net." Believe me, megavideo, youku etc the big boys will eventually hunted down so why are they going to hunt the middle man who is not distributing the material when there are people making obscene amounts? The benefits to the site owner are traffic, easy promotion and traffic can then be channeled into other websites that the webmaster owns. Anyway that's the last of my oppinion on the matter we will just keep going round in circles.
I think stealing from people, or showing others how to steal is just a really crappy and cheap way to make a living online, and the notion or excuse that "Everyone is doing it", or, "I'm just the middle man" is a juvenile excuse and another way of saying, "I have no ethics, or pride in myself or the way I do business...as long as I make money"...and they will be the same people in court saying.."but what about those guy's?" like a 5 year old on the playground. In life and in business, there are always those that are draw to unethical, and illegal practices to make money, and the web is no different, and there is nothing new about it. There are always going to be those that only know how to make it by piggy backing of other peoples hard work, because they don't have any original ideas of their own. They are the followers in the world, and those of us that take the high road are the leaders. JMO