Belgium Censors The Pirate Bay

My daughter just alerted me that The Pirate Bay has now been blocked by either her ISP or Belgium.

When typing in the URL, she sees this in 4 languages:

You have been redirected to this stop page because the website you are trying to visit offers content that is considered illegal according to Belgian legislation.
If you are the owner or administrator of this website and you consider to be wrongly redirected, you can report this by fax at +32(0)2/733.56.16.

If it's happening in Belgium, can't be too long before it becomes an EU directive??!?!

reply to post by RogerT


and...........? Pirate Bay is a site for criminals, right? Only criminals who steal intellectual property would care, correct?

A site for criminals? Hardly.

Criminals are rapists, murderers, and thieves.

Originally posted by Blaine91555
reply to post by RogerT

 

and...........? Pirate Bay is a site for criminals, right? Only criminals who steal intellectual property would care, correct?

Technically it is stealing, yes, although you shouldn't have such a stern view on it. You'd be surprised at how many times I've listened to an album, or watched a film from a torrent, and then went on to buy it. I have downloaded music with the intent of listening to it once, to going to all gigs of that said band, and buying their music in real form.

You'd be surprised at how many artists/authors/directors actually condone such sites, as it is a way of more people been interested in their creations.

Originally posted by graphuto
A site for criminals? Hardly.

Criminals are rapists, murderers, and thieves.

People who steal are not criminals?

reply to post by mileysubet


How is it stealing when the original file is still intact and stored where it was left?

Nothing has been taken at all.....

You end up making an exact copy of the original file.....

No stealing involved....

TPB censored, again and again and again...

Today we learned that we're being blocked - again! Yawn. When will they give up - we're still growing despite (or perhaps because) all their efforts.

So, if you live in Belgium (or maybe work at the European Union Parliament, we have thousands of visits from them every day) you should change your DNS in order to circumvent the blockage. You should do this anyhow - never trust your ISP.

There are some options! One is Googles DNS system. It is fast but run by an american company. Using this one is fun, because it probably makes Google semi-responsible for you accessing TPB in the future according to what we understand from this strange Belgian ruling! Click here to read how to do this.

You can also use OpenDNS, which is another great option! Click here for information on how to change DNS on your computer to OpenDNS, and here for info on how to change on your router.

And if you're tired of your ISP playing tricks on you, you can always just get a VPN. We're running our own VPN system and we never back down for idiocracy. This also lets you access the full internet freely where ever you are…

From TPB.
So yeah.

reply to post by Blaine91555


Thats not the only use of the pirate bay. Yes it can be used to for people who want free things or it can be used by people who want to give original stuff away for free. Music, Movies, ect. Its actually a great way to share your own creations.

was only a matter of time, those RIAA checks are quite lovely.
as far as "stealing" goes, meh... I stopped doing that not because of guilt, but because modern media blows, and those kinda games don't allow online play anyways. might as well pay for it. got steam and love it.

reply to post by RogerT


i am so happy you just decided to post this information on here and did not decide to take your belt off and start whopping your kid with it.

life is weird these days isn't it.

It wouldn't bother me so much if it wasa applied across the board, you can still access all other torrent sites though here. Is it a sign of the times?
Probably, it's about time too to be honest.

This is what it says when you go to the site.

De toegang tot deze website is afgesloten in toepassing van het arrest van het Hof van Beroep van Antwerpen van 26 september 2011.

Voor meer informatie kan u desgewenst terecht bij de Belgian Anti-piracy Federation (BAF), Almaplein 3 bus 10, 1200 Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe - www.anti-piracy.be...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

L’accès à ce site web est bloqué conformément à un arrêt de la Cour d’Appel d’Anvers, rendu ce 26 septembre 2011.

Pour de plus amples informations, vous pouvez vous adressez à la Belgian Anti-piracy Federation (BAF), Place de l'Alma 3 boîte 10, 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert - www.anti-piracy.be...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Den Zugang zu dieser Website ist gesperrt werden entsprechend einem Urteil des Appellationshofs Antwerpen vom 26 September 2011.

Für weitere Informationen können Sie Kontakt nehmen mit der Belgian Anti-piracy Federation (BAF), Place de l'Alma 3 boîte 10, 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert - www.anti-piracy.be...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The access to this website is blocked in conformity with a decision of the Antwerp Court of Appeal dated 26 September 2011.

For any additional information, you can contact the Belgian Anti-piracy Federation (BAF), at Almaplein 3 P.O. Box 10, 1200 Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe - www.anti-piracy.be...

I'm in Belgium to and my isp shows the pirate bay , lets me download torrentz and 'gives me the possibilty to' let me share... So if there is a censor coming up, it must be cause of your isp .

reply to post by Spartannic


I guess that's probably right, our old connection in Brussels was based out of France but now we have changed.

Originally posted by truetrigger
reply to post by mileysubet

 

How is it stealing when the original file is still intact and stored where it was left?

Nothing has been taken at all.....

You end up making an exact copy of the original file.....

No stealing involved....

Having something in your possession, that you have not exchanged something of value (money) for is theft.

You can argue by using your semantics bull# all day but it wont make you any less than a thief....


People that actually believe the lame excuse for theft you typed out are what is destroying the world today.....people that take from others because they think it is their right to do so simply because they can.

reply to post by mileysubet


"Having something in your possession, that you have not exchanged something of value (money) for is theft. "

Really?

You never watched a DVD off a friend?.... Listened to a cd?

Did you pay them then?....... No?.....

So by your logic your a theif?

What about this.......


Man utd won their 1st European cup by beating Real Madrid in the semi final in 1968.

Now you have some knowledge in your possession....

Knowledge I might add..... You have yet to pay me for.....

Originally posted by wingsfan
was only a matter of time, those RIAA checks are quite lovely.
as far as "stealing" goes, meh... I stopped doing that not because of guilt, but because modern media blows, and those kinda games don't allow online play anyways. might as well pay for it. got steam and love it.

I'm of the same opinion these days. Not because of guilt, more for the realization of "If no one pays for these things, who will bother producing them?"

The advent of services like iTunes, Zune, Steam, GOG and Gamersgate is fantastic. I only have limited space around the place to stack DVDs (to which there are hundreds), having them digitally available means i dont have to waste time making 'backups' to store on a central media 'hub', when i want something i can get it on 'demand' with no forced space allocation.

If only there was a decent digital distribution for TV shows & Movies in AU, I'm tired of having these stupid international zone release(s), seeing the states and other countries get movies and TV shows pantsloads earlier than us, resulting in the storie(s) being spread over the internet, thus ruining the show.

To the person who said software/media piracy is not stealing because "nothing went missing, its just a copy" actually its theft, theft of interlectual property. Just because there is no physical object being stolen (like stealing a chocolate bar), you are stealing money from the developer, directors, distributors (*shudder*), and in some cases the artists.

(Insert pricing rant here, you can disregard, i'd classify this as 'old man rant')

If you want to talk about entitlement, look at the Australian Gaming and Movie market:
$35 AUD for a new release movie, say Xmen on blue ray
JB Hi-Fi (Usually our cheapest)
Same product from the UK - 14.99 pounds, equates to 23.20 AUD
Closest i could find at Walmart - 24.26 AUD


Gaming:
Steam is a different kettle of fish, we are talking $89.95 USD, not AUD, so when our dollar is doing well, its on par (which is great for us at the moment, cheaper than retail )

I'd also note consle releases here are usually $108.00 AUD (Console).
Gamestop US (Rage) - 59.95USD
Gamestop UK (Rage) - 34.97 Pounds
EB Games Australia - 108.00 AUD

Note these are the same companies, all the same product, and you cant tell me it costs (based on UK costs) 53 bucks for shipping.

reply to post by truetrigger

How is it stealing when the original file is still intact and stored where it was left? Nothing has been taken at all..... You end up making an exact copy of the original file..... No stealing involved....

That's pretty much my attitude, stealing is when you leave one less in distribution. And the fact is whether it is Pirate Bay or sites like Filesonic, the "product" (really just digital information) is floating around in cyberspace 24/7 whether any one accesses it or not. Is picking and eating a fruit from a tree that constantly replenishes itself and never runs dry stealing?

Some might argue that it is stealing revenue from the artist like it is tantamount to stealing the food from their mouth but that is just what Big Media has brainwashed people into thinking. Here is a breakdown of where the money goes for an average CD from the store:

This breakdown of the cost of a typical major-label release by the independent market-research firm Almighty Institute of Music Retail shows where the money goes for a new album with a list price of $15.99.

$0.17 Musicians' unions
$0.80 Packaging/manufacturing
$0.82 Publishing royalties
$0.80 Retail profit
$0.90 Distribution
$1.60 Artists' royalties
$1.70 Label profit
$2.40 Marketing/promotion
$2.91 Label overhead
$3.89 Retail overhead

wizbangblog.com...

So, to break it down for you, when you purchase that $16 CD from the store:

$9.30 (over half) goes to Retail and Label profits and overhead.
$4.10 goes to manufacturing, marketing and distribution (system overhead)

which leaves a measly

$2.59 to Musician and Publisher royalties and union cost

In other words, almost $14 of $16 is spent propping up the system, not the artist.

If you really want to support the artists and musicians, buy music directly from them via the internet whenever possible, see more live music, and share the music freely with whoever you think might be interested. Who gets excited about a band they've never heard?

I believe that file sharing is a radical, direct-to-consumer, form of viral marketing, that despite the propaganda to the contrary, only serves to increase awareness of artists, writers, and musicians (or really the creator of any form of art that can be digitalized) which, in the end means a win for anyone whose success hinges on becoming known more widely.

Go Pirate Bay!

i believe its our god given right to take what we want from sites like pirate bay. i'm not going to sit in front of a tv and have things sold to me every 5 minutes in an add. the day advertising is destroyed is the day i'll start paying. hell everything i download i already own anyway because i subscribe to tv networks those shows are on. freedom isn't free, you have to fight for it.

Originally posted by JohnySeagull
reply to post by RogerT

 

i am so happy you just decided to post this information on here and did not decide to take your belt off and start whopping your kid with it.

life is weird these days isn't it.

Wow, do parents do that?
Why would I want to discourage my daughter from accessing media shared by her peers?
And to Blaine - yeah ok! You're part of a dieing breed my friend. Intellectual property is old paradigm. Free sharing of ideas and resources is the new one. Get with the shift or continue feeling disenfranchised by those you simply cannot understand.