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They could sue you tomorrow, but it would seem unlikely that they would win. ISPs must surely keep logs of IP addresses -> account holders and make a record of

by jiggy2011 14y ago

They could sue you tomorrow, but it would seem unlikely that they would win. ISPs must surely keep logs of IP addresses -> account holders and make a record of when these are changed. I also assume that content enforcement companies get a hold of these records before deciding to take something to court otherwise they risk looking very foolish. Of course it is possible that the ISPs record keeping is wrong, and there is also the worry about "3 strikes" type laws which may or may not require any level of evidence beyong a complaint being made. However AFAIK you can't be made to pay damages unless they directly sue you.

blaines 14y ago
I'm not sure which country you're in, but there's a few things at play here... - What's the definition of an ISP? - Are all defined ISP's required to log IPs? If so, how long? - Are ISP's required to make records public or offer them to 'enforcement companies'? Basically in the US, the RIAA and others who were/are suing people based on internet activity are doing so under the belief that a person is responsible for all activity under an IP (1 IP = 1 Person). So they track a download to an IP, get the customer from the ISP, and file a lawsuit with the customer as the defendant. I _think_ most of those lawsuits have been thrown out or settled. Generally, you'll need more evidence than a public IP address to take someone to court. We all know very well that a public IP address isn't an accurate way to identify someone. For example, you can torrent at most local coffee shops, libraries, schools, etc. Do you think that school keeps a log of all it's private IPs issued, tied to students, faculty, or others? Do ISPs really keep records of issued IPs for decades? IP addresses are generally public anyway, we don't see the sites or ad networks using them much for identification, they use cookies, and even that's flawed.

blaines 14y ago

I'm not sure which country you're in, but there's a few things at play here... - What's the definition of an ISP? - Are all defined ISP's required to log IPs? If so, how long? - Are ISP's required to make records public or offer them to 'enforcement companies'? Basically in the US, the RIAA and others who were/are suing people based on internet activity are doing so under the belief that a person is responsible for all activity under an IP (1 IP = 1 Person). So they track a download to an IP, get the customer from the ISP, and file a lawsuit with the customer as the defendant. I _think_ most of those lawsuits have been thrown out or settled. Generally, you'll need more evidence than a public IP address to take someone to court. We all know very well that a public IP address isn't an accurate way to identify someone. For example, you can torrent at most local coffee shops, libraries, schools, etc. Do you think that school keeps a log of all it's private IPs issued, tied to students, faculty, or others? Do ISPs really keep records of issued IPs for decades? IP addresses are generally public anyway, we don't see the sites or ad networks using them much for identification, they use cookies, and even that's flawed.