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Did anyone believe that Popcorn Time was going to end any other way than this? Either they were going to be shut down by their own choice, or their hand would
by programminggeek 13y ago
Did anyone believe that Popcorn Time was going to end any other way than this?
Either they were going to be shut down by their own choice, or their hand would be forced by outside litigation. Just because something is legal doesn't mean companies won't spend millions of dollars to make your life miserable because of what you built.
- clarry 13y agoPerhaps they could've ended the way the Pirate Bay ended.
- codygman 13y agoPirate Bay looks up to me.
- res0nat0r 13y agoHah I predicted this 3 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7379904 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7379904 Just because your product is legal, but mainly used for illegal purposes really opens you up to a lot of issues. They should have expected this was coming.
- dman 13y agoLaw is about getting as much justice as you can afford.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- aet 13y agoIt'd be interesting to see what percentage of use cases were for "legal purposes"
- catshirt 13y agowould it? it's probably exactly what you'd expect. :)
- baby 13y agoI doubt it would be more than zero.
- joyeuse6701 13y agoWell, I watched 300 on it, and I owned a copy of 300 it just so happens to be HD-DVD...and at home.
- xtracto 13y agoDid your HD-DVD copy came with signed rights to distribute the movie to third parties? If not, then you were illegally distributing the film while you were watching it using PopcornTime.
- baby 13y agoowning it in DVD doesn't mean you can download it through torrents. I know this is stupid though...
- elwell 13y agoOk, but who didn't predict this outcome?
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- User8712 13y agoIs it surprising that an appication used to stream torrents, is primarily used for piracy? No, no it's not, and this is why I'm scratching my head. They knew from day one, before they wrote a single line of code that the application would be used for pirating movies. For this reason, I assumed they had a plan, because surely no sane development team would put forth the time to setup this project, and then act surprised at the first legal threat, and close up shop.
- dmur 13y agoI'm not sure surprised is the word I'd use to describe their sentiment. I'd guess rather that they originally planned to back down at the first sign of legal threats. Popcorn Time has been circulated as an experiment, not a business, and in that sense it was a success. Also, the code isn't going anywhere, so it's not as if all this work was for nothing.
- chris123 13y agoWhere is the code being hosted now?
- Kequc 13y agoThe team that built it isn't acting surprised. I'm a little bit surprised that something more severe didn't happen, such as some of the developers being targeted specifically. All for a product that gets data which is already out there and feeds it to you.
- Eleutheria 13y agoWeapons are used to kill people, still they're not illegal.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- Spittie 13y agoBut they had a plan - the application is opensource, so anyone can continue it. And since it relies on torrents, killing the swarm is pretty much impossible.
- enraged_camel 13y agoAs I was arguing with rayiner on another thread, this is a prime example of what is wrong with the legal industry in the United States especially: shit is so complex that litigation is expensive, so people with more money than you can sue you into oblivion even if the law is on your side. Another way of looking at it is that, as things stand now, the legal system is just another weapon the rich and influential can use to crush the little man.
- res0nat0r 13y agoUnfortunately the law has to be complex and extremely detailed. You can't really use vague non specific terms when it comes to defining laws.
- frogpelt 13y agoPerhaps the plaintiff should be required to contribute all the legal fees for the defendant (up to a maximum). If the defendant loses the lawsuit, he must pay the plaintiff back for his own legal fees in addition to the damages that he must pay.
- couchand 13y agoThat would be great except the defendant still has to pay up front.
- BigBadBionicBoy 13y agoWell I had hoped it would end after I got a chance to finish watching Bronson.
- bitwize 13y agoIf you link to unauthorized copies, you are an accessory to theft. The fact that this is still legal is largely historical accident, and is bound to be overturned by one lawsuit or another, or Congressional loophole closing. It's still morally a crime.
- quadrangle 13y agoNo you are not. Copyright infringement is not theft. Your claim is no more valid than saying if you tell your friend to park their car illegally, you are an accessory to fraud.