[Stormspirit]

I recieved this email twice now. Should I be concerned?


Copyright Notice
copyright@sjrb.ca 8:17 PM Keep this message at the top of your inbox Newsletters
To:
copyright@sjrb.ca
Show content
May-16-15

Dear Subscriber

Content owners that hold property rights for material such as movies, music and other content, actively monitor Internet activity to protect their rights. We have been notified by a content owner that your Internet Protocol (IP) address has been associated with suspected copyright infringement. As part of new Canadian copyright legislation*, we are obliged to forward to you the attached copy of the content owner's notice. We are unaware of the full details and merit of this infringement claim. If you have questions concerning this matter, please contact the content owner directly - contact information is listed in the attached notice.

Infringement of copyright laws may result in the content owner pursuing remedies available under applicable laws to protect its interests. We encourage enabling secured passwords on your home Wi-Fi network if you have one to avoid unauthorized use of your Internet connection.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Please see the link below for more information:
The Copyright Modernization Act - Home - Balanced Copyright (http://balancedcopyright.gc.ca/eic/site/crp-prda.nsf/eng/home)

Sincerely,

Shaw Cablesystems G.P.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

IN ENGLISH/EN ANGLAIS
[LA TRADUCTION FRAN?AISE SUIT LE TEXTE ANGLAIS]

You are being contacted on behalf of

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

and its affiliated companies because your Internet account was identified as having been used recently to illegally copy and/or distribute copyright protected works. The name of the movie or TV show, the date and time at which the claimed infringement took place, the IP address, and other relevant information relating to this notice is summarized for you at the bottom of this letter.

Our goal is to ensure you take action to prevent your Internet account from being used for illegal activities in the future, and to encourage you to take advantage of the many exciting and innovative ways you can now enjoy movie and TV content online legally. In Canada, there are more and more legitimate sites and services that provide high-quality, on demand film and TV shows, offering the easiest, fastest, safest, highest quality product and viewing experience possible. If you visit WHERE TO WATCH IN CANADA (http://www.wheretowatchincanada.ca), you will find an array of different types of sites and services offering numerous ways to legally access the entertainment you want.

You should also be aware that many of the sites, including "peer-to-peer" sites used to illegally download or watch movies and TV shows, are unsafe for consumers and can be manipulated to steal personal information. Internet security experts warn that accessing these sites can infect computers and devices, and render the user vulnerable to spam, viruses, malware or phishing attacks.

Now that you have received this notice of claimed infringement associated with your Internet account, there are some things that you can do immediately to avoid receiving further notices and to prevent more serious consequences that may follow.

These actions include:

1. Stop downloading or uploading movies or TV shows without authorization when doing so constitutes copyright infringement;
2. Permanently delete from your computer(s) all unauthorized copies you may have already made of these movies and TV shows and consider disabling or deleting the peer to peer software that facilitates that activity; and
3. Make sure that anyone else who is authorized to use your Internet account is made aware of this notice - and take steps to ensure that your Internet account cannot be used by someone who is not authorized to do so.

The illegal copying and distribution of copyrighted works are prohibited under the Canadian Copyright Act. In addition, unauthorized copying and/or distributing of copyrighted content using your Internet account may be a violation of your ISP's terms of service for which there are other consequences. Under Canada?s Copyright law, your ISP is now required to forward this notice to you, inform us that the notice has been forwarded, and retain records associated with this notice for prescribed periods of time.

The "Respect Copyright in Canada" website, accessible at Respect Copyright in Canada (http://www.respectcopyrightincanada.ca) , offers resources to help you to ensure that your Internet account is not being used to violate copyright law. You can also learn how illegal reproduction and distribution of movies and TV shows hurts the Canadian economy and is a threat to the over 130,000 jobs across Canada in film and TV production alone.

If, after visiting Respect Copyright in Canada (http://www.respectcopyrightincanada.ca) you still have questions, or if you believe that there has been an error, and you wish to contact us, you may do so by email at wb.ca.notice@ap.markmonitor.com

Please cite the Reference ID

in the subject line of your email and please also let us know with which ISP you have your Internet account.

Sincerely,
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and its affiliated companies

* This letter is not a complete statement of the rights of the claimant or copyright owner in connection with this matter, and nothing contained herein constitutes an express or implied waiver of any rights, remedies or defense of the copyright owner, the claimants, and/or their affiliates, all of which are expressly reserved.

[jeedee]

what movie did you illegally download

[Gucci Mane]

i thought they were mainly targeting uploaders of content with this?

[BrownBear]

They can't do shit. Just don't download anything by Warner. They are assholes and target anyone that torrents there shit. They have to give you a couple warnings before they can actually take legal action.

[ImportPsycho]

You shouldnt be concerned, but it's warning.
I once got a letter from telus, nickelodeon contactrd them to tell me to stop sharing bubble guppies.
......

[Hondaracer]

Sign up for the VPN advertised here.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Nothing will happen and that's what I always tell customers. We kindly explain some movie company/studio caught them downloading/sharing a movie but thier identy is protected and we don't give those info out to any movie studio but by law we have to let the customer know.

[Cillu]

You can always use a vpn just to be safe. PIA is always a good choice.

[punkwax]

I heard a while ago that if you own a hardcopy of anything you've downloaded, you're legally an owner of the property and can't be persecuted for obtaining the content in another format, ie. illegally downloading. So if you're concerned you might get busted for downloading a specific movie, go buy the DVD and apparently you're ok in a court of law.

Apparently this is a Canadian law and does not apply in the states. That said, I don't know if anything has changed since I heard this as it was a few years ago...

Be safe, don't illegally DL. :)

[Manic!]

Don't worry about it.


Misuse of Canada's Copyright Notice System Continues: U.S. Firm Sending Thousands of Notices With Settlement Demands - Michael Geist (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2015/03/misuse-canadas-copyright-notice-system-continues-u-s-firm-sending-thousands-notices-settlement-demands/)

[SkinnyPupp]

Another reminder: Sign up for PIA VPN here (http://www.revscene.net/offers/go.php?id=46), it is one of the few that supports high speed torrents.

[willystyle]

Nothing will happen and that's what I always tell customers. We kindly explain some movie company/studio caught them downloading/sharing a movie but thier identy is protected and we don't give those info out to any movie studio but by law we have to let the customer know.

That may be true a year ago, but it's becoming more common for copyright holders to go after illegal downloaders in Canada now where they will seek a court order and put you through a legal process. Now that Bill C-51 is passed a few days ago, the situation will only get worse.

Chatham, Ont.$based ISP says 2014 ruling allows 'copyright trolls' to prey on customers in Canada

CBC News Posted: Mar 19, 2015 5:05 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 20, 2015 8:23 AM ET

U.S. production company Voltage Pictures must pay $21,500 to internet service provider TekSavvy, to cover the costs of receiving the names and addresses of about 2,000 customers
who allegedly downloaded movies online.
But the Chatham, Ont.$based ISP says that covers only six per cent of the costs it incurred fighting for its customers' privacy.
The Federal Court ruled in February 2014 that TekSavvy must hand over the personal information of people who illegally downloaded movies owned by Voltage, including highprofile
films such as The Hurt Locker and Dallas Buyers Club. Voltage first requested TekSavvy's customer information in 2012.
TekSavvy ordered to ID alleged movie downloaders
Digital privacy act opens copyright loophole that TekSavvy$Voltage case closed
"For consumers concerned about privacy, this narrow reading sends the wrong signal," TekSavvy CEO Marc Gaudrault said in a press release. "It tells copyright claimants that
protecting the end$users' privacy is someone else's problem — not something whose costs they need worry about."
According to Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor and Canada research chair in internet and e$commerce law, TekSavvy said it was owed $346,480.68, mainly from
legal fees and technical costs. Voltage, on the other hand, argued that it owed the ISP $884.
That gulf between the costs TekSavvy says it incurred and the amount it was given as compensation makes it less likely for ISPs to fight for the privacy of its customers in court,
says Geist.
"That is a bad message for privacy," he writes.

TekSavvy stuck with the bill after handing over IDs of alleged movie downloaders - Technology & Science - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/teksavvy-stuck-with-the-bill-after-handing-over-ids-of-alleged-movie-downloaders-1.3002014)

[mr_chin]

VPN didn't help?

[willystyle]

VPN didn't help?
If he used one, he wouldn't have received the notice.

[Stormspirit]

I might as well sign up for Netflix if I have to pay for VPN.

I don't even download that much movies , maybe like 1-2 a week. And I still get this notice. Pretty BS, not sure if I'm gonna get sued though, but if I am... wouldn't like millions of other people out there will fall with me?

[willystyle]

I might as well sign up for Netflix if I have to pay for VPN.

I don't even download that much movies , maybe like 1-2 a week. And I still get this notice. Pretty BS, not sure if I'm gonna get sued though, but if I am... wouldn't like millions of other people out there will fall with me?
You're most likely not gonna get sued, but the opportunity is there, if they wish to proceed.

[radioman]

I received my first notice like this from Shaw for downloading one of the leaked episodes of Game of thrones.

I think the Max fine is 10k? Could be wrong.

[Lowered_Klass]

Same with me. I got my first notice ever after downloading the leaked GOT episodes.

I laughed because I rarely download stuff, so it figures lol... and most of my friends download tons of shit, and most still have yet to get a warning.

[fsy82]

Where do you guys download stuff from? I usually only use sites that require invites. Don't download from piratebay

[underscore]

The easy trick is to just download old shows nobody is watching anymore haha

[TOPEC]

Nothing will happen and that's what I always tell customers. We kindly explain some movie company/studio caught them downloading/sharing a movie but thier identy is protected and we don't give those info out to any movie studio but by law we have to let the customer know.

if the copyrights owner do pursue legal action then the ISP will need to hand over customer info

[rageguy]

Either switch to newsgroup or use a VPN like private internet access.

[asian_XL]

it sucks to live in Canada nowaday.

[Timpo]

it sucks to live in Canada nowaday.

what other country allows this? I'm sure it's the same thing in the states.

[SkinnyPupp]

HK doesn't monitor downloads... at least not until 2047 Kappa

[RCubed]

LOL

I changed my VPN password and forgot to tell my room mate and we got a copyright notice from Shaw about the company "Elegant Angel" and the file he downloaded with a direct link and login to pay for a settlement at https://www.copyrightsettlements.com/

LOLOL who the hell still downloads porn anyways?!

[tool001]

alot of misinformation on revscense.

did my internship at cancopy.

-ISP do have to share your information to copyright holder if requested.
-copyright holder, CAN sue u (collective lawsuit) to make you pay for copyright infringement.
-Sweden or swiss (if i remember correctly,) has most lax copyright law.
-vpn services, do have to (by law-specially those from the US) have to keep logs (patriot act) of ip address : but i doubt that will be used to get info if u r just vetting copyright law)

[knight604]

What about direct downloading instead of torrents?

[willystyle]

What about direct downloading instead of torrents?
Like off websites and newsgroups? Should be fine.

[jakesbestbuys]

yeah watch out. They might actually show up in your front door if you keep doing it.

[willystyle]

alot of misinformation on revscense.

did my internship at cancopy.

-ISP do have to share your information to copyright holder if requested.
-copyright holder, CAN sue u (collective lawsuit) to make you pay for copyright infringement.
-Sweden or swiss (if i remember correctly,) has most lax copyright law.
-vpn services, do have to (by law-specially those from the US) have to keep logs (patriot act) of ip address : but i doubt that will be used to get info if u r just vetting copyright law)

Any respectable privacy-orientated VPN provider use shared IP addresses with thousands of VPN users at any given time, which makes it nearly impossible to pinpoint which user is downloading what copyright materal with that suspected IP address (as data retention is not mandatory in the US).

[knight604]

Like off websites and newsgroups? Should be fine.

No i mean off rapidgator/mega etcetcetc.

[willystyle]

No i mean off rapidgator/mega etcetcetc.
You're fine.

[godwin]

They can try but you have to realise the copyright holder's payoff ratio and also your risk tolerance.

Whether they sue you or not or go to get your IP address is a probability, somewhere between >0 and 1.

No i mean off rapidgator/mega etcetcetc.

[kross9]

alot of misinformation on revscense.

did my internship at cancopy.

-ISP do have to share your information to copyright holder if requested.


yes and no, they only can supply the information with a approved court order, and not just willy nilly hand out peoples information

I find this to be like collection agencys before any legal action happens the company already spent a shit ton to sue you

[tool001]

Any respectable privacy-orientated VPN provider use shared IP addresses with thousands of VPN users at any given time, which makes it nearly impossible to pinpoint which user is downloading what copyright materal with that suspected IP address (as data retention is not mandatory in the US).

FailFish thats what log servers are for. (syslog)

it doesn't matter how many thousand or millions ip address, they are, at any given time (from the time u log on -to- time u disconnect) u r given one ip, that is what , is logged. (ip (or port) translation address was provided) all the company needs what time the file was downloaded, and what incoming ip address was. (montreal based company is doing that for copyright holders)

and, the VPN company buys these block of ip address (meaning nobody on the internet can use that block (outside facing))

canadian companies and ISP, are required to keep log data for 6 months, and this is even more in the US due to FISA and patriot act.

anyways, max fine is $5000 first offence

[willystyle]

FailFish thats what log servers are for. (syslog)

u r given one ip, that is what , is logged. (ip (or port) translation address was provided) all the company needs what time the file was downloaded, and what incoming ip address was. (montreal based company is doing that for copyright holders)
Take PrivateInternetAccess VPN for instance, that ONE IP address that I am using (allegedly used for torrenting), is also used by thousands of other PIA users at the same time. How can they be certain that it's I that downloaded the copyrighted material? There's nothing from PIA nor the copyright holder can use to cross reference to me and suggest that it was I that downloaded it (this is with assumption that PIA DOES NOT retain data log, which they don't). PIA is an AMERICAN company, and in AMERICA, data retention is NOT REQUIRED.

and, the VPN company buys these block of ip address (meaning nobody on the internet can use that block (outside facing))
Please look up how shared IP addresses work.

canadian companies and ISP, are required to keep log data for 6 months, and this is even more in the US due to FISA and patriot act.
anyways, max fine is $5000 first offence
Most respectable privacy-orientated VPN companies do not operate in countries that have data retention law (for ex. Canada, Europe).

Also, if you're using a VPN, there's no reason to bring ISP into this subject, as ISP cannot see what I am doing on the internet when I am connected to my VPN. :rolleyes:


....So much ignorance in this thread.

[Mr.HappySilp]

if the copyrights owner do pursue legal action then the ISP will need to hand over customer info

And the legal cost for them to go through all these hassle is not worth it unless you are running a sever sharing a ton of copy right content. We have had companies who will try to bully their way into us releasing our customer info them the. We pretty much told them to fuck off or they can try to take legal action which none did anything other than to scare us lol.

[68style]

Maybe a dumb question and I use the VPN anyway, but curious if anyone knows if a real legal suit would be similar to getting a red light ticket without points on your license -- ie: they can't prove who was driving the car so to speak?

What if someone hacked my wireless router? What if I had guests over on wifi and they downloaded something without my consent? I think these laws are pretty toothless.

[Ford_Fanatic]

Bottom line is: if all you're using your VPN service for is downloading movies, then studios have a million grannies and 12 year olds they can sue before they spend the time and effort to try to track you down for downloading their shit through a VPN.

Don't be a dumbass, spend the 6-7 bucks a month.

[TOPEC]

alot of misinformation on revscense.

did my internship at cancopy.

-ISP do have to share your information to copyright holder if requested.
-copyright holder, CAN sue u (collective lawsuit) to make you pay for copyright infringement.
-Sweden or swiss (if i remember correctly,) has most lax copyright law.
-vpn services, do have to (by law-specially those from the US) have to keep logs (patriot act) of ip address : but i doubt that will be used to get info if u r just vetting copyright law)

and it seems like u have been misinformed, or at least ur wording is misinforming

Has my information been provided to the rights holder?
Shaw will not provide any information regarding customers' accounts to rights holders without a Canadian court order directing us to do so.

https://community.shaw.ca/docs/DOC-1848

again, unless the copyrights owner pursues legal action against u, they wont know a thing about u. all they know is xxx ip is downloading copyrights material and the ip belongs to shaw/telus/bell/rogers etc, and they contact that ISP to inform u. ISPs do not just hand over ur information to the copyrights owners if the copyrights owner just say xxx ip is downloading copyrighted material, they need to go through court first in order to get ur information

[Stormspirit]

So I decided to look further into this.

I got a 3rd email from this copyright@sjrb.ca .

This time they said I was illegally downloading the new movie Focus.

Funny thing is... I never downloaded it, I clicked on the link in torrent site, but never really attempted to dl it.

Max canadians can be fined for this kind of stuff is $5000 , and apparently, NO ONE has ever got sued unless you're some piratebay canadian boss.

So, I don't see the use of paying for VPN here.

[willystyle]

So I decided to look further into this.

I got a 3rd email from this copyright@sjrb.ca .

This time they said I was illegally downloading the new movie Focus.

Funny thing is... I never downloaded it, I clicked on the link in torrent site, but never really attempted to dl it.

Max canadians can be fined for this kind of stuff is $5000 , and apparently, NO ONE has ever got sued unless you're some piratebay canadian boss.

So, I don't see the use of paying for VPN here.
They're just waiting to collect enough copyright infringers from your ISP then file a class action lawsuit against all of you. It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN.

Read the article I posted about Teksavvy (about 5000 customers) being sued by a Hollywood studio for torrenting.

Don't be a cheapass! it only cost $4CAD/month for a good VPN.

[Tegra_Devil]

lol ive got like 15 of those emails over the past 3 years. I have a VPN, im just to lazy to sign in to fire it up :P


playin' with fire like a boss

[Lowered_Klass]

I just got my 2nd email the other day, again for Game of Thrones episodes.

I rarely download stuff, and have never gotten these email before... that is until a few weeks ago when I got my first one, and now my second the other day.

I wasn't worried after getting the first one, as it was bound to happen at some point. But another one so soon after? Crap.

[iwantaskyline]

ISP's now have to hand over your identity if the companies request it...but chances are SLIM that any major corporation will go after a single Canadian.

Reason is the max fine of $5000 is simply not worth it for these companies to hire a lawyer and take you to court. It'll probably cost them a lot more then $5000 just to take you to court.

I wouldn't worry about the notices. Some companies even use the notices as a way of generating income, they'll state in the notice to settle with them before they sue you which is complete BS, do not fall for it if you get a notice like that.

[SoNaRWaVe]

or avoid all the IFS and WHAT CAN HAPPEN questions and have a peace of mind for paying $4CAD/mo. done deal. or don't download at all.

if you download, you know what the consequences are. these emails shouldn't come across to you as a surprise. you know it was illegal to begin with.

just because you've been doing it all these years and never got one before, doesn't mean you are safe. its like you always wear your seatbelt but nothing happens. so one day you decide not to, and something does. same concept.

[willystyle]

^ Exactly, I don't even understand why there's even a debate about this.

If you're torrenting copyrighted material, get a VPN! Otherwise, stop whining when you're served.

[SoNaRWaVe]

i mean even if you were to cheap out and not pay $4/mo, and rather go buy coffee and donut with it, just skip one coffee and donut A MONTH. it won't kill you. however, cheaping out $4/mo and risk paying $5k instead, sounds like a no brainer to me.

[Hondaracer]

Downloaded every GoT episode this season using VPN on top of a handful of movies and software, no emails, no nothing

[underscore]

The other alternative is to simply be smarter about which torrents you get and from what sites. If you grab the biggest torrent from a popular site you're going to be more likely to have problems.

i mean even if you were to cheap out and not pay $4/mo, and rather go buy coffee and donut with it, just skip one coffee and donut A MONTH. it won't kill you. however, cheaping out $4/mo and risk paying $5k instead, sounds like a no brainer to me.

Is there actually any risk though? Ignoring the doubts about the owner of the content knowing exactly who you are, what is the actual risk of being fined/sued for $5k? I'll pay for something I need, but so far this just sounds like a bunch of fearmongering to stir up VPN business.

[6o4__boi]

to the guys that got the notice...how soon after you downloaded something did they send the email/notice?

i'm curious about this...lol. I told myself i'd sign up for vpn the day i get one of these notices but i haven't been dling shit lately so i can't justify the costs. That might change when the summer blockbusters come out later on in the year :lawl:

[SkinnyPupp]

Reminder: Sign up here! (http://www.revscene.net/offers/go.php?id=46)

[Mancini]

Can someone please clarify whether the offence is uploading or downloading or both. I'm wondering if the terminology is being confused.

If someone is dl'ing from a direct host (not torrent) is there actually any violation?

[radioman]

to the guys that got the notice...how soon after you downloaded something did they send the email/notice?

i'm curious about this...lol. I told myself i'd sign up for vpn the day i get one of these notices but i haven't been dling shit lately so i can't justify the costs. That might change when the summer blockbusters come out later on in the year :lawl:

I just chekced. Got the notification from my GoT download 1 day after I dl'd it.

Never received another one. This was the leak of episode 1 season 5 so maybe they were sour it got leaked and were going after people for it.

[willystyle]

Can someone please clarify whether the offence is uploading or downloading or both. I'm wondering if the terminology is being confused.
When you are torrenting, you are downloading and uploading concurrently. It's the uploading (aka. hosting) of the content that troubles copyright holders.

If someone is dl'ing from a direct host (not torrent) is there actually any violation?
The copyright holder will be going after the host, not the downloader, in this case.

EDIT: Before someone chimes in and say that I can just avoid uploading while torrenting to evade from being sued. In practice, that's not possible. There will always be data leakage (uploaded data) while torrenting.

[Mancini]

When you are torrenting, you are downloading and uploading concurrently. It's the uploading (aka. hosting) of the content that troubles copyright holders.


The copyright holder will be going after the host, not the downloader, in this case.

EDIT: Before someone chimes in and say that I can just avoid uploading while torrenting to evade from being sued. In practice, that's not possible. There will always be data leakage (uploaded data) while torrenting.

That's what I thought. Thank you very much for this reply.

[godwin]

For those who are savvy.. use a separate (older) computer with VPN always on to do the sharing. If you bind your client to the adapter name eg tun3. The OS will start the VPN when program needs it (much like the old dial up modem do in the past). Most OS still allow you to access the files via LAN. (or just use your neighbors wifi with a spoofed MAC address). You will be surprised how many people thinks they don't need keys with hidden ESSID. Get a few of those and use multicast you can get better bandwidth, especially when some neighbors uses Shaw, Telus and or Novus.

Remember civil trial ie the copyright notices, they don't need to same burden of proof as criminal court.. and the companies often mine other sites for info. You said you watched movie XYGSDF on the Entertainment Forum or Facebook? that's an additional data point.

[SoNaRWaVe]

The other alternative is to simply be smarter about which torrents you get and from what sites. If you grab the biggest torrent from a popular site you're going to be more likely to have problems.



Is there actually any risk though? Ignoring the doubts about the owner of the content knowing exactly who you are, what is the actual risk of being fined/sued for $5k? I'll pay for something I need, but so far this just sounds like a bunch of fearmongering to stir up VPN business.

to be honest, the risk is pretty much NIL. but its the peace of mind that you are after. yes, it isn't likely that you will be fined $5k at all. but for $4/mo, you would need 1250 months of subscription to run a $5k bill. thats over 100 years. which will literally protect you for life of any risk of getting sued for $5k.

if you want to get technical and factor in inflation, its still pretty much your life time. but it takes only one successful sue and you are slammed with $5k bill just cause someone wants to cheap out $4/mo and possible jailtime too if i am not mistaken.