cox shut off my internet for dling a torrent

[exodusprime1337]

So i scratched a disc for bioshock and decided to dl a copy from isohunt.com. when i got home today the internet in my house was off and i was asked to call my cable company. when i got a rep on the phone they stated that a lawyer from the game developer had called cox and asked them to look into this and stated that i was stealing?? is this even legal. I do in fact own the game and have done nothing illegal?? I have a few questions.

1. What can i do to prevent myself from being detected while using a torrent program. ie. encryption, decentralized tracking and whatnot??

2. Should i be worried. I usually back up my games that i own by dl'ing a torrent of it because that way i don't have to fight with the games ingame countermeasures(securerom, and simalar).

3. has anybody been in this situation. i'm actually quite worried for some odd reason??

 

[Dark_Webster]

What? I think that is nearly impossible, almost anyone who has Internet had atleast downloaded something, and they don't care about it.

First, if you DO have the game, I don't see the problem downloading it.

 

[Duffman]

i didn't even know Cox was in NJ.

 

[dark2099]

I think if you can prove that you legally own a copy of the game and were obtaining the copy for back up purposes only you may be able to get it reversed.

 

[mdm-adph]

Try using Steam -- I know they let you register CD-key's you already own, and next time you can get a copy of the game that way.

I wouldn't be worried at all. IANAL, but I don't think they'd be bothering to scare you if they actually had a case -- you'd just be getting the papers in the mail, like most people do.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

What I would do is basically give Cox the finger by saying something like this:

So you're punishing me for using your service? Since when was it any of your business what I do? If you don't get my Internet back on, I am cancelling my account, reporting this incident to the Better Business Beuro (harassment), and I don't expect to see a bill for the remainder of this month.

I'd imagine that phone call would end pretty quick if it went like that...

Why that works is because Cox shouldn't care. Their job, as an Internet Service Provider, is only to make sure bits sent and received get to you. The messages contained in those bits are completely irrelevant to what you are paying them to do.

Make it about them, not you.


As mdm said, if this were actually serious, you'd get a formal letter in the mail. This is basically a feeler trying to get people to confess and if they confess, they have an easy case to make.

You can always use Peer Guardian to attempt to block these lawyers from hounding you but I don't know how effective it is.

Also, try a different tracker than isohunt. The Pirate Bay and Mininova are great.

 

[newconroer]

That's freaky, I was just thinking about this earlier - how far ISPs and authorities go in regards to individual users and piracy.

It seems like 'big crackdowns' aren't really in the computing news that much anymore.

I was still under the impression that as long as money isn't involved (i.e. redistribution for sale) and/or massive amounts of content (i.e. servers with terabytes of pirated content), than they leave it to ISPs to intervene or not; as opposed to calling in some RIA type S.W.A.T. team.

But the fact that some individual requested an investigation is odd, and the fact that they divulged those details to you is even more odd.

 

[WarEagleAU]

Peer Guardian is pretty good stuff and its always updated. You can also encrypt your internet as well.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

They cannot legally do that. Downloading Linux variants that come in torrents is legal. You should make a huge fuss about it, threaten a lawsuit. First you need to clear your HD though, then take them down.

 

[exodusprime1337]

anybody wanna post some things about how to encrypt the web, peerguardian is cool but i heard it's widely useless in some instances.

basically waht happene dis i logged into the web today and there was a splase screen telling me that my web was suspended and to call cox. so i did and they told me that they were asked to suspend my service till i deleted the pirated software. i wasn't even at home and told them i would do that but after that they just turned it back on and such.

 

[erocker]

The first thing you should have done is contact the game developer/company support and see what they can do for you.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I was still under the impression that as long as money isn't involved (i.e. redistribution for sale) and/or massive amounts of content (i.e. servers with terabytes of pirated content), than they leave it to ISPs to intervene or not; as opposed to calling in some RIA type S.W.A.T. team.

It's hard for a lawyer to convince a jury and/or judge if there is no money involved. What they have to do is try to convince the jury and/or judge that "intellectual property" was stolen. Still, that is a hard argument to make because, as with all data, we can make lossless copies of anything an infinite number of times.

This is the law that is usually cited in such cases:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act


:O

You could argue this exemption if it gets serious:

Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace. (A renewed exemption, first approved in 2003.)

Your disk has become obsolete (definition 4) and you had to obtain a copy to replace that obsoleted medium for the purpose of "archival reproduction."

The disk is not "reasonable available in a commercial marketplace" because you already purchased the content and have a right to use it.

 

[zithe]

There's no point in clearing your hard drive. People fail to understand that ISPs save absolutely everything you do. How do you think they catch so many 'children traffickers'?
(Pointed towards people in general)

I hope you get this sorted out soon. Some P.O.P. should help out.

 

[oli_ramsay]

That sucks ass and I don't think you should be worried. There's a little guide here which tells you how to encrypt torrent traffic so your ISP doesn't know what you're downloading:

http://torrentfreak.com/how-to-encrypt-bittorrent-traffic/

 

[Wile E]

I used transport encryption in Azureus when Comcast was doing the whole torrent throttling bit. Worked like a charm for that, but enabling it for these purpose will do little, as all they have to do is enable it on their end.

Don't bother with Peer Guardian, it's utterly useless for this. They can still scan the tracker, and get your IP and what torrents are active on your machine, they just can't directly connect to you.

But at any rate, tell them to piss off, and threaten to get a different ISP. Deny illegally downloading anything. Because, honestly, you didn't illegally download anything.

 

[El Fiendo]

Honestly, I'm pretty sure a lawyer isn't going to phone up your ISP to have them shut you down over a $50 game. Its probably more along the lines the ISP didn't like you downloading something that size and figured you'd do it again and fed you the line 'a lawyer made us do it'. Like was said earlier, you'd get a formal letter.

Edit: Also, how did the lawyer know you were downloading the torrent? He didn't. There is no lawyer, its all your ISP.

 

[Woody112]

Tell them you didn't do anything illegal, and that if they don't provide you with the service that you are paying them to provide you, that you will get a lawyer of your own and sue their ass.

 

[mrw1986]

That's exactly why I hate cable companies, AT&T ftw.

 

[WhiteLotus]

You should count yourself lucky - i have Carphone warehouse capping my torrent to less than 15kBs and we pay for 2MB, it would have taken 3 weeks to download the new Open Office. I kid you not.

 

[Darknova]

I'd have just turned around and said "I've done nothing illegal, now cancel my account, I no longer wish to use an ISP that harrases it's paying customers for using the service you provide."

Very quickly you'll get an apology and your internet reinstated, then just turn around and cancel anyway and find a decent ISP.

 

[exodusprime1337]

thanx for your feedback everyone, yeah turns out the party who told cox was the esa(entertainment software association) and basically they stated that they were under suspicion that i was dl'ing illegal intellectual property and that they were only doing this as a warning. When i asked if i could have any proof that i was doing anything illegal the cox rep had nothing to offer so i asked for a contact number that i could give to my lawyer and he quickly apologized for the inconvience. I'm still switching isp's, anybody know of a good isp for cable/internet in the rhode island area, seems all i got is cox and fios(not sure how good fios is but i wouldn't mind trying.

 

[Wile E]

thanx for your feedback everyone, yeah turns out the party who told cox was the esa(entertainment software association) and basically they stated that they were under suspicion that i was dl'ing illegal intellectual property and that they were only doing this as a warning. When i asked if i could have any proof that i was doing anything illegal the cox rep had nothing to offer so i asked for a contact number that i could give to my lawyer and he quickly apologized for the inconvience. I'm still switching isp's, anybody know of a good isp for cable/internet in the rhode island area, seems all i got is cox and fios(not sure how good fios is but i wouldn't mind trying.

FiOS is the shit!!! GET IT NOW!!!!! lol

 

[exodusprime1337]

is it cost effective, for like a 20Mbit connection with tv and a moview channel is it cheeper then cox??

 

[Wile E]

is it cost effective, for like a 20Mbit connection with tv and a moview channel is it cheeper then cox??

Can't say for sure in your area, but in my area they offer the same price as Comcast for better sevice, or a lower price than Comcast for similar service. My sister has it, and will never go back to cable she says. When I spent some time over there, it was indeed awesome. I just wish I could get it here.

 

[exodusprime1337]

did you like the tv/internet, if anybody has fios and would like to comment i'd appreciate it.