HOME
Staff, Contributing Editors:
Steve Lick
|
By MikeSouth
January 27th, 2012
Stories are going to be coming up that will be benefited by an understanding of how sites like Megaupload and Filesonic worked and what they changed.
Basically they were file storage units, for 10-15 dollars a month you could upload anything you wanted to your account and keep a copy of it there. You could also download all you wanted. This included hollywood movies, dvd rips, website rips, porn, whatever. On the surface that doesn't seem so bad...BUT they also let you "share" these files with anyone you wanted, and pay you for doing so.
once you uploaded a file the system would create a link to that file, think of it as a pointer to the file you uploaded. That pointer was unique to you so it provided a way for the filesharing site to track your downloads. These sites typically paid $40.00 per 1000 downloads. Smart uploaders would rip a dvd, split the rip into 3 or 4 parts that way a download of the dvd would equal 3 or 4 downloads thus increasing the money they made.
They would post these links along with boxcover photos to piracy sites like hornywhores or pornbb. Most DVDs on a big piracy board would get 2000-3000 downloads. As you can see posting 100 DVDs a month could be fairly lucrative.
Now if you understand the DMCA you know that a copyright holder can request that the material be removed and the fileshare site had to do so promptly. But they werent removing the files.....only the file POINTERS, what this meant was that the original uploader could go in and in a few seconds generate a new pointer, update his posts and the files are back available for download in a matter of minutes.
Fileshare sites that specialized in porn even facilitated purchases made from sites like hotmovies and clips4sale, you could buy a movie and move it to the fileshare site without ever having downloaded it, the filesharing site would do it for you and auto post it. This led to clips4sale and others blocking numerous IP addresses from being able to download.
Now when the Department of Justice shut down megaupload it was things like the affiliate program (paying uploaders for downloads) and deleting the links to the content instead of the content is largely what got them nailed.
Filesonic, Oron and other sites that were primarily porn took note and either cut off downloads by anyone other than the original uploader or terminated the affiliate programs, or both. Needless to say if this holds, these guys are out of business, and so are the uploaders and piracy boards that made a living as affiliates.
Recent information has surfaced accusing Manwin of owning at least one of these large filesharing sites, Filesonic, more on that is coming, including a statement from Manwin denying any such ownership and why it is falling on deaf ears.
By MikeSouth
January 25th, 2012
ICM basically came to Manwin begging to support them. The four main things Manwin told them we absolutely needed were:
1) Stuart or any other ICM goon has to step down from IFFOR
2) They have to lower prices immediately by at LEAST 10 USDs, but we tried for much more than that. There is no reason why it should be more than 30 or so USD
3) Manwin asked them to allow some simple way to register typo domains together with the main registration. For free. Like 2 or 3 obvious typos.
4) an easy way to block typo domains together with normal blocks.
Manwin did not ask for thousands of free domains just for us, they threw around 200 or 300 of them at us the first second we talked. First year only of course. They are also the ones that suggested that Manwin run tube.xxx for example.
In regards to IFFOR rules, Manwin said we want to be sure that no stupid rules would be introduced, the "no tubes on .xxx" was just an example.
By MikeSouth
January 25th, 2012
According to documents filed with the court asking the court to dismiss the Manwin/Digital Playground lawsuit They did:
“Thylmann again approached ICM, ostensibly interested in doing business with us,” Lawley stated in his declaration. “He also said that he was planning to start his own adult industry trade group, consisting of the two or three ‘powerhouses’ of the industry (including Manwin), using organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America as models…. He said that such a group was necessary because the Free Speech Coalition (a trade group representing certain segments of the adult industry) was not in a position to provide any real value for its members.
“After making these statements, Thylmann then set forth a list of ‘nonnegotiable’ demands to be met by ICM in order for Manwin to consider conducting business with ICM,” the declaration continues. “Thylmann stated that he would ‘tie up ICM in litigation’ if ICM did not meet all of his demands.”
According to both Lawley and Dumas, by October the demands included:
• Allocation of several thousand dot-xxx domain names to Manwin free of charge.
• ICM’s commitment to circumvent its policy development body, the International Foundation for Online Responsibility, particularly with regard to the operation of tube sites within dot-xxx.
• Across-the-board discounts on dot-xxx domain registrations.
• Allocation of so-called “premium” domains, including Tube.xxx, to be operated by Manwin under a revenue-sharing agreement with ICM.
“Thylmann further stated that in order to explain Manwin’s change of heart regarding .XXX, ICM had to agree to concessions that would put a positive ‘spin’ on Manwin’s involvement, namely, that it would appear that Manwin accomplished some positive impact for the adult industry when news of the deal was announced,” Lawley’s declaration notes.
Now I am no fan of Stuart Lawley, he is a known liar and scum bag, but then Manwin isn't exactly known for being forthright either. In a perfect world they will both kill each other but sadly that wont happen.
There's more coming on Manwin LOTS more and at least one of them is a BOMB....stay tuned.
By MikeSouth
January 23rd, 2012
Last week in a move seen by most as a condolence fuck you to Hollywood for not passing SOPA the Us Department of Justice took down the worlds largest filesharing site, megaupload. Megaupload wasn't that big in the porn circles but in terms of hollywood movies it was the biggest.
From the DOJ Press release:
The indictment alleges that the criminal enterprise is led by Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz and Kim Tim Jim Vestor, 37, a resident of both Hong Kong and New Zealand. Dotcom founded Megaupload Limited and is the director and sole shareholder of Vestor Limited, which has been used to hold his ownership interests in the Mega-affiliated sites.
In addition, the following alleged members of the Mega conspiracy were charged in the indictment:
-
Finn Batato, 38, a citizen and resident of Germany, who is the chief marketing officer;
-
Julius Bencko, 35, a citizen and resident of Slovakia, who is the graphic designer;
-
Sven Echternach, 39, a citizen and resident of Germany, who is the head of business development;
-
Mathias Ortmann, 40, a citizen of Germany and resident of both Germany and Hong Kong, who is the chief technical officer, co-founder and director;
-
Andrus Nomm, 32, a citizen of Estonia and resident of both Turkey and Estonia, who is a software programmer and head of the development software division;
-
Bram van der Kolk, aka Bramos, 29, a Dutch citizen and resident of both the Netherlands and New Zealand, who oversees programming and the underlying network structure for the Mega conspiracy websites.
Dotcom, Batato, Ortmann and van der Kolk were arrested today in Auckland, New Zealand, by New Zealand authorities, who executed provisional arrest warrants requested by the United States. Bencko, Echternach and Nomm remain at large. Today, law enforcement also executed more than 20 search warrants in the United States and eight countries, seized approximately $50 million in assets and targeted sites where Megaupload has servers in Ashburn, Va., Washington, D.C., the Netherlands and Canada. In addition, the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., ordered the seizure of 18 domain names associated with the alleged Mega conspiracy.
The interesting thing about this is that since most of the large porn filesharing sites have shut their doors or limited download capabilities to only what YOU have uploaded. Rapidshare, filesonic and others have thrown in the towel making even bigger targets out of the few that remain like wupload and oron, expect them to follow suit.
Finally the good guys catch a break, hopefully the tube sites are next....yup thats you Fabian/Manwin.
By MikeSouth
January 23rd, 2012
My guy at the AVN Awards called me. He said dude "It was a cluster fuck"
You didn't need to stay but a few minutes to know all the winners, I should have texted them to you before they were announced...I could have. As everyone was being seated the winners were being shown on the screens....
There were issues with the teleprompter all night and clips played with no audio and or were delyaed.
The biggest gaff of the night...they forgot to award Best Feature Film and Female Performer of the Year
By the time they figured it out the final dance number was over and half the audience had left.
According to my guy...."It was the worst AVN Show ever"
Just Damn......
By MikeSouth
January 20th, 2012
I got a call this morning from a polling company and one of the questions was:
"Did the interview with Newt's ex wife Mary Anne Gingrich change your opinion of Newt Gingrich?"
I answered no, absolutely not, I knew he was a complete scumbag before I ever heard that interview.
She laughed and thanked me for my participation.
By MikeSouth
January 19th, 2012
I am absolutely appalled at what I have seen the last couple of days....
For one we have Google, wikipedia and others participating in an online protest over SOPA legislation. We also have Los Angeles passing a condom mandate, and let me tell ya porners are all up in arms, threatening to leave L.A. ( They won't because nobody else would have them) They are also threatening to photograph the inspectors and even the drooling imbeciles on ADT are talking about how can this happen in a Democracy...hello you morons we live in a Republic NOT a Democracy. Yes everyone is all up in arms about something.
Here's my question. Where was all this uproar when G W Bush and Congress enacted ad signed into law the abhorrent "Patriot Act"? Where were they when Obama and the Congress made the NDAA 2012 law? These people usurped 200 year old constitutionally protected rights, they shit on the very document they swore an oath to uphold and where was all the outcry about that?
Fortunately I probably won't live long enough to have to deal with the real repercussions of this. I hope I live long enough to see an overthrow of the tyranny that is taking hold in Washington DC but I am not holding my breath.
And what will you people do in 2012? I know what you will do, you will restaff Washington DC with the same criminal scumbags that got us into this mess, same as you have done every election. Then you will bitch and moan that it's the other parties fault that it will be more difficult for you to steal porn now.
Then you will kneel and lick the boot of your oppressors.
By MikeSouth
January 18th, 2012
Two weeks ago I broke the story that Digital Playground had been purchased by Manwin, the parent company of Brazzers and owner of controversial tube sites. A lot of people have been asking "Why did DP sell?" I also heard over the last year " Why isn't DP doing Island Fever any more? Why haven't they started Pirates 3??
Turns out the reasons are all tied together....Read On...
Digital Playground began in 1993 as an adult software company, they broke ground and set the standard for interactive porn utilizing multi angle DVD in particular. The founders, Samantha and Joone were married and worked hard to make Digital ( DP) a household name in porn circles. Their first contract girl was a busty brunette who called herself Rocky Roads.
In those days everyone in porn was successful, the public couldn't get enough product and DP had a plan.
When the company was founded Sam and Joone were set up as equal partners, both had to sign off on anything the company did, like big budget movies.
The company lasted longer than the marriage. The divorce was amicable in the beginning aand DP launched two big budget but successful brands, one was Island Fever, shot on location in places like Fiji and Bora Bora. The second was a joint venture with Adam and Eve called Pirates that rode the heels of Disneys "Pirates of the Caribbean" straight to success. In the second installment of Pirates DP disassociated themselves from Adam and Eve,
DP pretty much cornered the marked on really high end porn, with lucrative cable deals, pay per view and even R rated versions of some of its movies the money was coming in and they are one of very few companies in porn that are still making good money.
So why no more Pirates or Island Fever and such? The current top end of their production is just relatively standard porn packaged as higher end product.
Over time and for reasons I won't speculate on, the divorce became MUCH less than amicable, particularly over the last couple of years the fighting has been extremely bitter and even though Joone desperately wanted to continue with the Island Fever and Pirates franchises, Samantha refused to sign off on them, relegating DP to the standard porn fare we have seen from them over the last few years.
Enter Manwin.
With Joone and Samantha hopelessly deadlocked on any new big budget productions the only way he was going to further his passion of big budget porn features was if someone else held the purse strings, and that meant selling the company, for a good deal less than it was worth I am told.
Manwin is positioning themselves to own the cable and high end market and buying Digital Playground is the jewel in that crown, it also breaks the deadlock between Joone and Sam. You noticed in the announcements that they are keeping Digital Playground as is, including Joone as a Director. Now he will be free to make the movies he wants to because those are the movies that Manwin wants to make, so in addition to buying DP, they bought Joone as a director.
Now you know the REST of the story.....
By MikeSouth
January 17th, 2012
Brandon Thompsen Writes:
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the
government fears the people, there is liberty." - Thomas Jefferson
While many in the porn industry concern themselves with increasing piracy, low to no profits, and now mandatory condom use in Porn Valley, there are far greater issues at hand that the porn industry, like most of America, continue to remain ignorant of.
Many citizens of the United States are unaware of the reauthorization of National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that was passed by Congress and signed into law on December 31, 2011. That's right, while many across the nation were preparing to go party and celebrate into the New Year, President Obama signed into law rights for current sitting and future administrations to arrest and indefinitely detain anyone in the world, including Unites States citizens without being afforded due process, a public hearing or trial, and access to an attorney. Let me repeat this again. Including United States citizens.
How can this be, you say? The reason many are unaware of this law and the expansion of the fishing net in the government's "war on terror" is because outside of a signing statement issued by President Obama, where he claims that while his administration can use this provision to detain and arrest US citizens, his will not authorize such action, it is not being reported by any of the mainstream media. In fact, their silence on the issue should be the major alarm most citizens need to confirm that further attack on rights afforded to us under the Constitution is no longer respected nor valued by the elected leaders entrusted to govern us.
For the citizens who are informed and aware of this bill's signage, they have risen up in peaceful protest to help raise awareness and inform other citizens. These individuals have been arrested for exerting their Constitutional rights to protest peacefully. Enemy Expatriation Act.
10/12/2011--Introduced.
Enemy Expatriation Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include engaging in or purposefully and materially supporting hostilities against the United States to the list of acts for which U.S. nationals would lose their nationality. Defines "hostilities" as any conflict subject to the laws of war.
Supporters of the bill and others that continue to infringe, if not downright defecate on the Bill of Rights, claim that those who are not participating in such activities need not worry as this bill is not aimed at them. The same supporters said the same thing when they passed the PATRIOT ACT and claimed it would never be used against U.S. citizens only to be used in domestic violence and drug trafficking cases.
"I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive."
- Thomas Jefferson
Our forefathers believed in liberty and justice for all. They rose up against the oppression of the British and waged war for their freedom and felt behaving any different were for those that neither deserved freedom or security. Our government has asked demanded the American people sacrifice their liberty in exchange for perceived protection.
"What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?"
- Thomas Jefferson
It is your duty and obligation to stand up in resistance to tyrannical rulers that care nothing for safety or prosperity; only what they can take from you in their attempt to force compliance and obedience. Look no further than Congress and the President's allegiance to the banking industry and corporations to see where their loyalty lays. Failure to rise against has led to unceremonious conditioning to accept the status-quo of the American citizen much the same way the Jews complied with Hitler. Take note how well their compliance has paid off.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - Thomas Jefferson
The Federal Government has relied and depended on the laziness of its citizens to take a stand and continue to do so even when the results are not positive. Just last year, many rose up and occupied Wall Street in protest. These individuals were given time to protest under the assumption that they would protest for a couple weeks and then disperse like most normal citizens who give up. When this failed to happen and popularity increased nationally, the protests were no longer tolerated as the people became educated and informed others, threatening the status-quo.
Why should this matter to you? A better question is how can it not? Regardless of industry, career, social status, education, etc. war has been declared on those without power; the United States citizen. Combined with the corporate-run, government-backed media, Americans continue to remain in the dark as more and more of their liberties are stripped away.
Educate yourself. Learn to read between the lines of what is bring reported but more importantly, what isn't being reported and why. Failing to do so now will be no excuse when the police state is in place. Because the person you do business with overseas may be involved in things you have no clue about and you are now suspected and assumed guilty by association even by indirect actions.
We all love to sing about freedom and liberty but now is the time to rise up and inform others to ensure our forefathers' vision is continued on rather than the vision of modern government and the criminals that comprise it.
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty."
- Thomas Jefferson
[ Personally I think George W Bush committed treason when he signed the Patriot Act, i think Barack Obama committed treason when he signed the NDAA of 2012. They swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and they should both be held accountable for the egregious breach of that oath. ]
By MikeSouth
January 13th, 2012
 There seems to be some confusion about how the proposed new condom law is going to work.
Most people think that the condom use will be tied to getting the filming permits from the city, this is not exactly the case.
As I read it companies in L.A. who are shooting hardcore are going to have to have permits, for which they will pay a fee and be held in compliance with workplace safety regulations, failure to do so will result in fines and potential revocation of the permit. Think of it more like a license to shoot porn instead of the traditional one time shooting permits, so it doesn't matter if you don't get a one shoot permit or you shoot on private property, the very product you produce could be used as evidence that you aren't in compliance.
This approach makes it much easier to police and enforce the permit requirements.
Sadly this will be the last nail in the coffin for some of the companies in Porn Valley. Even more sadly we could have avoided this but we never listened. for as long as I can remember I have been say that if we cannot regulate ourselves government will do it for us.
The chickens have come home to roost.
|
|
Recent Comments