Daily Bits

file sharing

SoShare From BitTorrent Lets You Share 1TB of Files for FREE

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SoShare

Sharing files remotely is something many people take for granted these days. With the use of the cloud being more prevalent, and with services being made available for free, average users have easily incorporated the technology into their daily lives. There is, of course, the issue of file size limitations, especially for those who use the free packages and don’t upgrade to premium models.

Once again, BitTorrent comes to the forefront of the file sharing arena by launching a new service called SoShare. This new tool poses a threat to other players in the game such as YouSendIt simply because of the sheer size of the file bundles users are allowed to share in one go. How does 1TB of data sound? [Read more…] about SoShare From BitTorrent Lets You Share 1TB of Files for FREE

Church of Kopimism Weds First Couple

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File sharing religion wedding
Kopimism Wedding
Remember Kopimism, the first religion in the world which bases its tenets on file-sharing? Kopimism was officially recognized as a religion by the government of Sweden earlier this year, when they were about 3,000-member strong. Their main principle:

Information is holy and copying is a sacrament. Information holds a value, in itself and in what it contains, and the value multiplies through copying. [Read more…] about Church of Kopimism Weds First Couple

Kopimism: Swedish File Sharing Religion

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Copy Paste
Symbols of Kopimism

It’s for real, folks. I am not pulling your leg here. The country of Sweden has officially recognized a new religion that has its basis on file sharing! Now I have always thought of the Swedish people as being tolerant, but I never knew that they are this open minded. Imagine, a religion that is all about what many institutions consider illegal!

Dubbed the Church of Kopimism is new compared to the religions that we grew up with. It has been around for around a year, though and is 3,000-member strong. Just like other religions, the Church of Kopimism has symbols that it holds sacred. Do not laugh, for I am sure its members do not think it is a laughing matter, but their sacred symbols are CTRL+C and CTRL+V. I don’t need to expound on the meanings underlying these symbols, do I? [Read more…] about Kopimism: Swedish File Sharing Religion

Are You a File Sharer? Hand Over $1000!

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Some people just do not think – or they are too easily intimidated. Now, don’t get me wrong – I am not advocating illegal downloading or file sharing, but this piece of news that I just read boggles the mind!

So what happened? Movie studio Liberty Media decided to issue a statement that they are going to sue people who have illegally download files that belong to them. Take note – they have not taken any action towards filing a lawsuit. They only announced their intention of doing so. They went one step further, though, and boldly stated that if people who have been involved in downloading content that belong to the movie studio want to avoid being sued, they should just turn themselves in and pay $1000.

Say what? Yes, you read that right. But it does not end there! In response to the announcement, people actually turned themselves in!!! Ten people have come clean and coughed up $1000 to avoid the potential lawsuit.

If you are shaking your head in disbelief, there is more that might just make your eyeballs pop out of their sockets. Liberty Media, apparently encouraged by the $10,000 that easily came in, courtesy of the announcement, has issued another statement. This time, they say that they are already preparing lawsuits against 36,000 BitTorrent users. Of course, it cannot be said that the movie studio is a heartless b#st#rd – there will be another amnesty program that will prevent users from being sued – to the tune of $1,900.

Is it just me or is there an emerging pattern here?

Source: Torrent Freak
Photo via Sure Articles

Movies and E-books More Desirable Than MP3s

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You may not be involved in illegal downloading or file sharing anymore, but bits of useless information trivia always come in handy, don’t they?

According to Find That File, the file type that is downloaded the most today is AVI. This covers movies and other video files. Next in line are the PDF and RAR, which typically refer to e-books. The pie chart below shows downloading preferences of people with regard to the type of content.

The “winning” file types do not really come as a surprise. With high quality movies and videos available and people not having the time to go to the cinema or watch TV series as they are aired, downloading is a more convenient alternative. Note that I say convenient – in no way am I implying that it is ethical. (Then again, there are services which allow you to download or stream legally – we are walking a thin line here.)

The proliferation of e-book readers is also contributing to the popularity of e-book downloads. Add to that the fact that mobility is key to most people, having books in electronic format is really bound to make e-books more popular.

What about mp3s? Where did they go? For sure, people are still downloading music via shady means, but I think that the ease and price of legal downloads play a role here somehow. More so, we also know that albums and discographies can be downloaded in RAR or ZIP format. Since the survey only took the extensions in consideration, music can actually be part of the top downloaded file types.

Photo via gigaom

Adios, Limewire!

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Remember that green round slice of lime? There was once a time when I saw it every day when I turned my computer on, but if I remember correctly, those days were short-lived. For some users, Limewire probably played a larger part in their lives.

Yesterday, the longstanding battle between Limewire and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) came to a halt. After four long years of battling it out in the courts, the two parties now face the end to their squabbling – to the detriment of the file sharing site. A judge from the US district court in New York has issued an injunction that forces Limewire’s features to be shut down. These are searching, downloading, uploading, and file sharing. For sure, those who still use Limewire are going to feel a sense of sadness and loss if they go to the site right now.  Try visiting the site (Limewire),  and you will be greeted by this image.

The RIAA has been the object of many a file sharer’s ire in the recent years as the group has been actively seeking out copyright violators.  This injunction is indeed a victory for them.

Limewire is not going to totally disappear from the scene, though.  While the “free stuff” cannot be accessed anymore, the people behind Limewire do have plans to come up with a system that will adhere to the law while they continue with their operations.  The question is this: will this new system make it as attractive as it was when file sharing (as we used to know it) was the main selling point?

You guys who already miss the old Limewire, I feel for you.