BitTorrent harms no one. BitTorrent is a file sharing protocol. BitTorrent was designed to allow one or more people to share a very large data file with many times more people and much faster than would otherwise be economically feasible. BitTorrent is used extensively, as intended, by authors and third party distributors to distribute completely legal copies of CDs, Videos, software and all manner of data files. BitTorrent has been a huge boon to spreading Free Software and Creative Commons content around the world.

The MPAA may not think they care all that much about Free Software. However I would remind them that many of their members rely totally on GNU and Linux for the production rendering of their movies and to a large extent for their graphics workstations. That precious Star Wars movie, some insider pre-released illegally, wouldn't have been possible without the Linux render farms used to produce it. BitTorrent also facilitates the spreading of some amazing Star Wars Fan Films. I'm sure the industry officially disapproves of such unorthodox things as Fan Films made by mere amateurs but George Lucas seems to like them.

MPAA complains that BitTorrent is facilitating the copying of movies. So what? Everything that could ever possibly be used to copy data files can facilitate the copying of a movie. Are we to restrict the use of everything to the point that no one can accomplish anything, good or bad? MPAA people should stop screaming like a 2 y/o who has had their favorite toy stolen and act like reasonable human beings.

The USA, last I checked, is still a free country. Freedom includes the freedom to make bad choices and break the law. The US Constitution, and amendments, put into place all sorts of rules which limit the ability of the government to detect when someone is breaking the law. This is by design. Why would they have done that? Because they know the government can be insane and most assuredly wrong. But also to discourage the government from wasting public tax money trying to put the public in prison for silly things. However, once someone has been caught breaking the law then the legal process kicks in and the public gets to decide. The MPAA should perhaps focus on prosecuting those who are distributing, or leaking internal copies of, their precious movies and not attack the system by which it is delivered. Because the only way the industry could ever succeed in stopping illegal copying of movies is to deliver the entire world backward in time 70 years. Sadly, I think that's where most of them live in their minds.

Trying to tarnish the reputation of BitTorrent harms everyone and could never prevent anything. It gives the MPAA a worse reputation than they already have. Case(s) in point: every other file sharing program they've managed to ban hasn't reduced the amount of file sharing. If anything sharing of their movies has increased despite their best efforts. I'd expect that they've simply driven it so far underground they can barely even see it.

In summary:

1. BitTorrent is good. Very good, in fact.
   
2. Sharing the movies owned by people who don't permit sharing is bad.
3. Share and watch movies only by people who do permit sharing.
4. Lousy, overpriced movies are not worth the risk.
   
5. MPAA needs to evolve into a more tolerant life form before it kills itself.
6. Find a friend. Go get a milk shake and talk. Reality is far more interesting than any movie.
   

Labels: technology