Posts by phil stovell

Game sharer gets £16K fine

Correction

Sorry, I was an order of magnitude out. It's "only" 86 days.

675,000,000,000 * 8 /725,000/60/60/24 = 86 days.

Filesizebytes * 8 bits per byte / upload speed / 60 secs in min / 60 mins in hour / 24 hours in day.

To David Wilson

I'm just showing that you can download files thinking it's one thing when in fact it's another. She could have downloaded something she thought is public domain, but the file's been renamed (or scammed) so that it's actually this game.

We've been discussing this case on news:uk.legal and the info below comes from there.

The case isn't about downloading - it's sharing the software to other people.

Another thing that troubles me is the damages of £6k. This is the loss to the owners of the software. I understand it costs £8 to buy, so she's been charged for letting 750 people download it. Apparently, the file size is 900MB, so for 750 people to have downloaded it she will have had to upload 675 GB.

My upload speed is currently 725kbs (download 2736kbps). It would take me

675,000,000,000 * 8 /725,000 seconds = 7448275 seconds = 862 days.

It's practically impossible for her to have uploaded 750 copies of the software. So why the £6k? Of course it's a nice £10k in DL's back pocket. Next, please.

How to scam innocent parties into downloading copyright software

Here's how I believe it is possible to get innocent parties to share

copyrighted software using P2P. I'm not suggesting any clients of DL have

done this, or that it has even occurred. In fact, it may not be possible

if I've missed something.

1. Files are shared by their hash - which is constructed from the actual

file contents - not the file name, as that can be changed or have

different content. Take a look on eg eMule - you will see the same file

having multiple names.

2. Offer for sharing the copyright software - for example,

UnsellablePinballGame.iso.

3. From another computer, download it.

4. Rename the file to something downloaders are likely to be actively

seeking - for example, BigTitSpecial.mpg.

5. Wait for people searching for BTS to start downloading it.

6. Attempt to download, from a 3rd computer, UnsellablePinballGame.iso.

Because this has the same hash as BTS, it could be downloaded from the BTS

downloader at the same time they are downloading it, so not only is the

mark unaware that he is actually downloading copyrighted software, he is

also uploading it at the same time (when it's finished downloading, the

mark will attempt to play the file, it won't work, so he'll (maybe) delete

it, all the time having been, unknowingly, sharing copyrighted software).

7. Using software you have written specifically to watch for these events,

get a court order to get the user's details of the IP that is sharing your

copyrighted software, and offer not to take them to court for £500.

8. After a few months, when the £500s stop rolling in, go to 1 with a

different piece of copyrighted software.