Rapidshare Terminates Accounts of Illegal Downloaders

[nsane.forums]

In common with BitTorrent and other file-sharing services, Rapidshare has steadily increased its user base in recent years. The site has hundreds of millions of visitors each month and is listed among the 50 most-used sites on the Internet.

Like most file-hosting services, Rapidshare is hosting a wide range of music, movies and music files that are distributed without the consent of the rightsholders. This has dragged the company’s bosses into several lawsuits with copyright holders already, most recently they were ordered to proactively filter 148 book titles to avoid jail time and huge fines.

Although it is no secret that many people use Rapidshare to distribute copyrighted content, the site’s users have remained largely untouched until recently. Over the last few weeks, however, reports are coming in from users who’ve had their accounts terminated for downloading or uploading copyrighted files. From the emails being sent out, it is clear that Rapidshare is taking a more aggressive stance towards ‘infringing’ users.

“It came to our attention that illegal uploads which have violated third-party copyrights that can result in lawsuits are being hosted on our servers, thus voiding the Terms of Service. We have detected and removed these files from our servers, as requested by the legitimate owners, and are now in the process of terminating accounts that have downloaded or stored those copyrighted materials in order to prevent them from circulating and breaching copyrights again,” the email from Rapidshare reads.

Terminating accounts is not the end of it though, as Rapidshare informs the users in question that their personal details will be kept for legal purposes. “A log file of all your login IP addresses and uploaded/downloaded file details will be kept for legal purposes,” they write. Rapidshare advises users who want to appeal the decision to hire a lawyer.

The email doesn’t elaborate on what they mean by “legal purposes” but we assume that the company is going to use it as leverage, and that logs might eventually end up in the hands of copyright holders. If anything, the email from Rapidshare makes it clear that the company places the interests of copyright holders above the privacy of its users.

There is little doubt that this active termination policy is the result of ever-increasing pressure from copyright holders. At the same time, these actions might very well be the end of Rapidshare’s limitless expansion, as users will quickly move over to competing file-hosting services upon hearing this news.

Article from: TorrentFreak, check out our new blog at FreakBits.

View: Original Article

[eXtortiOn]

MegaUpload ftw

[mara-]

Who cares? We have plenty of other sites which Rapidshare can't match. Mediafire is one of them. MegaUpload is also cool. I sometimes also use megashares which is pretty good.

Cheers ;)

[shought]

YEAH! The end of RapidShare :D :D :D :D :D

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

[jacob]

Site TorrentFreak could tell yesterday that many Rapidshare users had terminated their accounts.

But the various messages that managed to create panic in fildelermiljøet is false.

It informs Rapidshare to ComON. Rapidshare also denies that the company would have changed its policy on copyrighted data and handling of user data.

Phishing

Katharina Scheider, who is spokeswoman from Rapidshare, explains that Rapidshare often fall victim to phishing attempts, where phishers attempt to lure passwords from paying Rapidshare users. And it is also phishing emails is causing the current confusion on RapidShare position on piracy.

But the company's position is clear - and unchanged.

"We've had our current terms of use since 2006, and they say you can not distribute copyrighted material. And if someone does, then we can obviously come in, "says Katharina Scheider.

But have changed your way to enforce your terms of use recently?

"No, there is nothing new under the sun. We have not changed the practice from yesterday to today. "

But it said that i is starting to enforce copyright protection more consistently?

"It is true that there are some who want us to do things differently and filter. But right now it works the way that right holders should contact us if they find material to be removed. There is not a search function on Rapidshare. So we have not even able to locate infringing material, "claims Catherine Scheider.

Although Rapidshare denies that the company has not subjected himself tighter control of music or film industry, it is clear that rights holders have been aware of Rapidshare. Last year, by transmitting the Swiss firm data on a user in connection with the prosecution of the case and the same year had to Rapidshare in a lawsuit promise that it would filter out illegal content better. Recently Rapidshare due to a legal dispute also opted to drop his German. The domain, which now refers to. Com.

http://www.comon.dk/nyheder/Phishere-tog-fusen-pa-fildeler-miljoeet-1.338981.html

[Atasas]

Dear rapid$hit (not)

Rest In Pieces

:evil:

[CODYQX4]

Thank God that RS will finally die!

I see a mass transition to places like mediafire.

The reason so many people upload to RS is to get points to get free account extensions. Now nobody will download (since the cracks and stuff will start getting erased) and everyone will abandon RS.

[DKT27]

:ninja: :x :injured: :bruce: :chair: :fist:

[Bizarre™]

Rapidshare = RIP

[*dcs18]

I think the topic should read 'Rapidshare Terminates Accounts of Illegal Uploaders.'

[S3cretz]

Its asif they are destroing more and more file sharing sources . :fear:

[KeShKeSh]

I think the topic should read 'Rapidshare Terminates Accounts of Illegal Uploaders.'

the article says both Uploaders and Downloaders.

and i am finally happy to see RapidShare ending :)) all they wanted a happy ending and they got it. RIP!

[DKT27]

I'm surprised that they haven't emailed me. Afterall ain't I the person who hates RS the most. :tooth:

[Atasas]

I'm surprised that they haven't emailed me. Afterall ain't I the person who hates RS the most. :tooth:

'couse u r second in line :lol:

Me Me Me! is nr1 R$ hater :lol:

BTW my 2k post! ^_^

[DKT27]

Congrats but I win. :angry: Sorry wrong thread. :P

Anyway, I'm the most biggest RS hater ever. :yes:

[0veR]

It will be massive accounts suspensions! :lol:

[mara-]

Well, almost everybody here likes to see this source destroyed, so some better can be used.

Cheers ;)

[HX1]

I would say we throw a big HUGE RApidShurah boycott/shutdown party.. Fireworks... everything the whole nine.. Pirate or not .. This service reeeaaallly !@#$%^& ^&&*( and #$% ^&*().. ya know what I mean... It simply doesn't matter what you do at the place... or with what... The service is horrid.. for any purpose it was designed for, as far as clients are concerned... Now as far as they are concerned with making money... fiiine.. great..

I think they should change their facade and become a members only site. they can't handle the bandwidth... and the only way to download.. IF your lucky.. is with an account anyway..

Too bad they didn't just evaporate all together.. :(

[Hottwire]

I agree with heath28m

[Maddy]

Be a free user enoughhhhhhhhhh