Scam music download sites may be targeted

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is being asked to investigate web sites that claim to offer legal music downloads for very low prices but in fact only offer downloads usually of freeware software available on the Internet which are often used to download music illegally. Such Web sites typically charge $30 to $40 and prominently advertise services as "100 percent legal." Some of these sites then have small print that warn users about Copyright Infringement and link to resources to find out more.

A Washington-based civil liberties group, the Center for Democracy and Technology, said it planned to file a formal complaint early Tuesday with the trade commission charging such Web sites with deceptive trade practices. "They're fooling people into spending money to buy products that are competing with legitimate products," said Alan Davidson, an associate director for the group. "These are the people who are really polluting the marketplace."

Lawyers for www.mp3downloadhq.com said that, "the company genuinely regrets that anything it has done or failed to do has been interpreted, as potentially confusing or misleading", and promised to remove the "100 percent legal" claims from its website before Friday. Www.Mp3DownloadCity.com and www.MyMusicInc.com are both targeted in the Center for Democracy's FTC complaint but neither site would comment.

Source:
Yahoo

Written by: James Delahunty @ 8 Mar 2005 22:35

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33 comments

c4iscool

ppl really fall 4 that? damn, I need 2 make a site like that.

9.3.2005 07:25 #1

domie

hell of course they fall for it...you never noticed how many idiots there are on internet forums who never read a thing and post a question when the answer is right before their eyes in the guidelines or on the same page ? (that is if they manage to post in the correct forum)
look at suprnova.org, the bit torrent site...how much money do you think the thieves made who set up suprnova.com and suprnova.net ? they are still up and running and asking for $ 38 to download the bt client lol

9.3.2005 15:36 #2

mattmin

Jesus Saves! Visit Matt Mattero Ministries � at: http://mattmatteroministries.org

20.10.2005 07:38 #3

dufas

mattmin.....
I am fairly sure that your stance would include the distruction of public domain also. By public domain, I mean works that are very old and whose copyright has ran out. At one time, movies such as the 1921 Metropolis or It's a Wonderful Life were in public domain. Lobbying by the MPAA and RIAA have destroyed this consept. According to the copyright office, the RIAA can sue, if they desired, someone singing Happy Birthday to their kid at a party. Before you go off saying I am some sort of kook, check the history of the entertainment industry. The Mafia only wished they could garner the control that the MPAA and the RIAA both want and in some cases aquired.

The then head of the MPAA, when the fight against P2P began stated publically that he was not interested in suing for downloading public domain movies or for downloading TV shows...Then, it was discovered that there were 20 times the downloading of the public domain and TV mrdia and the entertainment industry did a quick about face and went after everything. There is an effort to thwart the recording of video off the air now as it was when the Betamax first came out in the 70s.

You, being involved in religous music, may be interested in knowing the the music industry came down hard on churches in the 1950s. The congregations did not have the right to sing the religous songs in church without the churches paying royalties for each time a song was sung. The music industry failed just as the MPAA failed in the Betamax case. Most of the entertainment industry's actions are about greed and absolute control. The same type of control they had when the studio system was in effect. They had then, as they try to now, even control of a person's politics. People that worked in the industry even had to get permission to get married from the studio heads.

I also find it odd that democratic orginizations will bend over backwards to limit everyone elses rights but extend their own seemingly to infinity.....

20.10.2005 10:09 #4

mattmin

Jesus Saves! Visit Matt Mattero Ministries � at: http://mattmatteroministries.org

20.10.2005 13:40 #5

dufas

The Betamax decision had nothing to do with VHS taking over from anything. The studios went to court to stop the sale of Betamax to the general public. The arguement was that the studios should have control of their TV product and allowing anyone to record TV and watch at the inividual's leasure would take that control away from the studios. They recently tried this same arguement in court against the TIVO recording system. It is about control and greed.

I worked with the studios for 18 years and the only thing these people think about is control and money. Most of them would literally screw their own mothers if they could get another dolar out of a deal. Any people in that industry that have any hint of honesty get ran over in a second.

In the late 90s, the entertainment industry lobbied congress to change the copyright laws so that any copyrighted work can be owned in perpetuity by continual renewing for one dollar each copyright and not pass into public domain unless the present owner releases such work. It used to be that a copyright passed into public domain after 24 years had passed. All inventions pass into public domain after 27 years and cannot be renewed. The only thing that makes a copyright so special is the control and greed of the industry.

As far as the ACLU is concerned, they were founded by a socialist/comunist and their charter states that they want to use the laws of the USA against the USA in order to bring the government and the country down. That was in the 30s and I haven't seen any actions on their part to show that they have changed their minds....

The fact that the RIAA will not listen to you or anyone else should give one a big clue that they are out for themselve and no one else. I have contacted other orginizations concerning wrong doing and these orginizatios jumped on the problem almost emmeadiatly. The RIAA and the MPAA have turned over their problem to lawyers... Lawyers, once they get their foot into any door are not going to let go...the smell of money is too great of a stimulant to bottom feeders.

20.10.2005 17:25 #6

mattmin

Jesus Saves! Visit Matt Mattero Ministries � at: http://mattmatteroministries.org

20.10.2005 20:34 #7

dufas

mattmin...........

I worked behind the scenes with many studios. I became privy to many conversations whereby I heard the real attitude and reasons for the studios starting the MPAA actions.
It's like a big thief calling the police because a small thief is stealing something from him. In the movie industry, there are very few people that will work for a piece of the action, [for a percentage of the gross] and no one will work for a percentage of the net. It is a foregoing conclusion that one gets paid up front or by the job because anyother payment scheme will leave one working for free. If one enjoys getting screwed, they should work in the entertainment industry. Their attitude toward the public is even lower. Most of them are elitists that forget that without the public, they couldn't buy the next Mercedes. The attitude is that they can do anything they want just because of who they are. The great unwashed should heed their words, do as we say, not as we do. What, did I hear someone question my ethics, how dare they?? Don't they know of whome they are speaking ?
As far as the RIAA, the association there only came because of the music that is used in the movies. Viewing the situation from my advantage, you and people like you are the ones that the studios use for their own advantage to further their strangle hold. While on the surface, stopping file sharing is admirable. The honest general public would agree as much. But the real, hidden reason is no different than when a politician says he only wants to help you...

Do you support the RIAA when the recording studios collect all the royalties and through creative book keeping or just outright theft do not pay the artists? This goes on all the time in both the music and the movie industry. Many times this action is planned from the outset, they could care less about any contracts between anyone except when the monies are directed towards the studio's pockets.

As far as Betamax is concerned, that was their own fault. They didn't think that VHS would go anywhere because Beta was there first and besides, the beta format is the same that is used in TV broadcast. Sony dropped the ball. Companies do this all the time. Zenith didn't think that anyone would be interested in a graphic interface that uses a mouse pointer, IBM didn't think that anyone would be interested in a persoal computer. Nash didn't think the public wanted style in their automobiles. Labor unions think the world owes them a living.....

21.10.2005 08:00 #8

dufas

Addendum....
The RIAA and the MPAA also have sued several dead people, some other people that didn't even own computers or were ever connected to the internet plus the famous 12 year old girl over a jingle.

They are using a shotgun approach to their problem with concern if they are correct or not....

21.10.2005 08:06 #9

mattmin

21.10.2005 09:12 #10

dufas

If the lawyers get a name, they go after it. One of the latest suits was against an 89 tr old woman that has never even owned a computer much less connected to the internet. Another was a man that had been dead for 5 years. They were just names. When the lawyers don't even want to go to trial but just want to run a collection orginization, any name will do. It is in the same vein that other lawyers sue small businesses for no reason and win because it will take more money to fight the suit than it will to just pay the lawyer.

Another analogy would be when the LA police, during the 60s, when confronted with a hostage situation would shoot at anything, if an innocent person was killed, it was just collateral damage. It was to be expected. It wasn't until the police killed hostages that were being released by a bad guy that they stopped this practice. The point being, the MPAA and the RIAA lawyers do not care where they get their money from as long as they get the money. Do you think that all the money is turned over to the studios? The reason that they don't want to have anything to do with you is that if you had your way, you would kill the cash cow.

Think of P2P as cigarettes. Logic says in order to stop smoking, one gets rid of the cigarette manufactures. But wait. There is money here, lets sue the tobaco industry for billions and place a high tax on cigarettes. We will tell the public that it is for the children and medical care for said children. In reality, it was a cash cow for the lawyers and different state jurisdictions. The moneies that the various governments recieved went every where but what was told to the public. LA county used the money to pay law suits for over two hundred people that were convicted of crimes because the police planted false evidence. The state of California boosted selected government employee's pensions by 1000 percent. Idaho paved old roads and made new ones. Florida bought a slough of new police equiptment. The list goes on and on. This is the same thinking that goes into P2P. P2P is just a vehicle for these people to further their power and monitary base.

P2P of copyrighted material is wrong and getting rid of the trading of copyrighted data should be taken care of. BUT, I have a difficult time throwing all my support behind people that will screw the very people that help them.. To me, it is standing next to the Mafia to help them to stop someone from stealing from them.

21.10.2005 10:49 #11

mattmin

21.10.2005 11:44 #12

dufas

A book???
It was thought of a couple of times but, after I had a stroke, it takes me a long time to do any thing and to even do it correctly is another chore. You have probably noticed that there are occasional mis-spelled words contained in my rants. I have difficulties with words, names, and numbers anymore. The paragraphs that are written here take a long time to create. Besides, most of the knowledge that I have is in the public arena and the people with the power to something about these things sit on their tails. Details that are not in the public eye are still fairly well known by these people. These power brokers usually have a reason for standing pat. Sometimes it is as simple as being able to rub shoulders with the rich and famous..other times, they have a blind trust which holds a big block of entertainment stocks or bonds.

Haven't you ever wondered why a big star can steal on three occasions over $5000 worth of mechandice and only get public service but one of the un-washed can steal a bag of groceries and get a year in jail..

Have you asked yourself how one legislator can be a card carrying member of the Klu Klux Klan or another be a gay, child molester and nothing happen to them??

Yet another politician is only suspected of something and their carreer is ruined. How one set of politicians feel that it is not guilt or innocense that matter, it is the nature of the charge.

Just extrapalate this over to the studios and it is the same thing going on. The same studio big wig that is against drugs will feed these drugs to an artist either to feed the artist's habit or, in some cases, to get a child star to cooperate. While he/she is doing this, they will smile into a camera and say they are in process of making an anti-drug spot for TV. It makes me sick.

Recently, a black girl won an academy award. She exclamed that the black actor is finally accepted by the American public. The public has no voice in the awards. Actors mount an ad campaign in the trade papers to get nominated. Other actors and inside media people do the voting as to who wins. The blacks, if they were held back, was held back by their fellow craftspeople. Yet, the public hears the speech and thinks "WOW, we are doing better.." when it was just another piece of propaganda that everyone there knows is a lie..

Oh well, sorry to keep ranting, but these people 'P' me off...............

21.10.2005 12:42 #13

isospin

Write the book :) I am a typical internet user who believes hardly anything he reads and i scan pretty much everything but your thread fascinated me, i wasnt even interested in your topic either, I was researching Mp3DownloadCity.com.

You have an interesting take on things dufus, most writers would give thier left arm for that, and your phrasing reads easily, you should at least blog, Id read either.

You have obviously thought at length about these issues, I find myself wondering if you have any solutions.

22.10.2005 15:11 #14

mattmin

22.10.2005 17:07 #15

isospin

you do :) indeed you do, i meant to say you should do it together seeing as dufus is poorly but i cant edit my posts lol. oops, do apologise, i need my edit button though me, i really do.

none meant ;)

22.10.2005 17:10 #16

isospin

see.. i could do with editing that one to "i meant to edit my post to say you should do it together seeing as..." my kingdom for an edit button,

scuse the lack of capitals im lazy!

22.10.2005 17:13 #17

mattmin

Hey Thanks IsoSpin!

Maybe we should write a book what do you say Dufas?

Let's Roll!

Matt

22.10.2005 17:26 #18

dufas

There are already many books out there that cover the ethics and methods used by the studios. These books do not cover the exact studio subject but the same formulae is used throughout politics, business practices, technology, sciences, and, on a smaller scale, even personal relationships.

In politics, the truths are there for anyone to see as long as one only listens to what is said and not fall for the retoric. The next step is to check what was said against the facts. An example would be a recent statement that homelessness is rampant in the USA. While there are homeless people, there are several things that the 'media' and the political groups don't include in the information they dish out. This forgotten information will read almost like a college outline with all of the heading and subheadings involved, but for the sake of this conversation, I will attempt to simplify things somewhat.

In the early 90s, a political group that feared that welfare would be cut announced that homelessness was so bad in the USA that 42 homeless people die evry second. This was immeadiatly picked up by the media, politicians, and other special interest groups. No one questioned the data.

A little research...
1...Reason for many of the homeless.
a...ACLU sued the government some time ago
stating that the keeping of mentally ill
people in mental hospitals was
un-constitusional except for patients
that were violent. Patients that could
not fend for themselves, schizophrenics,
mentally retarded or un-developed, etc
were released to the streets and the
95 percent of the hospitals shut down.

1a..It has been found that 80% of the people
on the streets are the mentally ill that
have no where to go because of the court
ruling. The remaining 20% are transient,
meaning that one may be homeless for a
short time because of job loss, injury,
choice, or hiding after the commision
of a crime. [Added note..I have been
homeless twice [so far] in my life. Once
after an industrial accident, another time
after a bussiness I owned was shut down
by a govenment edict and the banks took
everything I owned...]

2a..Note..The ACLU was originally founded by
a socialist/communist as a tool to use
laws of the USA to destroy the USA. [This
information in sveral books and on the net
..Google "ACLU socialism" and read for
yourself...]

2...Homeless numbers.
a...42 homeless die a second due to harsh living
conditions and lack of care. If one runs the
numbers, it would mean that around
1,324,512,000 people would die a year. this
is more than the total of people that die
a year under normal conditions. The only
people that seemed to notice all these
bodies laying around was the special intrest
group that want the government funding.
[Added note..After the funding was granted
and mostly spent on non-homeless support,
the person that announced these numbers
committed suicide..]

3...Analysis
Since 1965, over 31 trillion dollars have
spent on homelessness and wellfare. In
states that have gone back to the pre-65
spending level and rules for assistance,
the amount of welfare and homelessness has
dropped to near the same rate as just after
the ACLU law suit. The proffesional
recipient moves to another, more liberal
state. Research has also shown that only 9
cents of every dollar actually get to help
the disadvantaged. The reat of the money
is used up in high wages, retirement funds,
and the like.

Now, what has this to do with the RIAA and the MPAA ???
The very same methods to spread information is used and they, as the politicians and special interest groups depend on the general population to be lazy and just accept whatever is said. When a lie is repeated over and over, it becomes the truth. Younger people's history starts when they start hearing what is said and so it is taken as the gospel truth. This is true whether it is in politics, environmentalism, business, or whatever.

Here is an example of something that most of you won't like or beleive but is the real truth none the less. It is a commonly accepted 'fact' that the Republicans stopped the integration of Blacks in the southern states. Well, this is a lie that has been told over and over. Dwight D. Isenhower, Republican president helped push through the laws to integrate the south. Robert Byrd, a Democrat senator and a card carrying Klu Klux Klan member and officer both lobbied and filibustered in congress to block any integration of the south. He was joined by a group of govenors and legislators from the southern states in his efforts. This groups was known as the DIXIECRATS. All southern Democrats that blocked integration for years. The Rebuplican that everyone loves to hate, Richard Nixan threatened to use the US military to get the job done but he was thrown out of office before he could help the Blacks. Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, took Nixon's lead and used the military to integrate the south.

But back to the subject...I think there is enough books covering the reasons that the studios do what they do, The trouble is there are more people willing to believe the easy way than to check out what was being put out.

As far as the answer to the problem, that is simple but the most difficult to aquire......Honesty would serve everybody, not just a few.

22.10.2005 19:31 #19

mattmin

23.10.2005 04:18 #20

dufas

HIPAA, RIAA, MPAA...same thing, always the same thing...... Money, Control.....follow these two paths about most any subject and one will get to the truth or pretty near it anyway.

If one watches how most of these things work, one will usually find a classic bait and switch going on. The government, large companies, political movements all do the same thing and the public lines up in lock-step behind it without realizing which direction they are being lead..

An extremely simple example would be banks and ATM machines. The banks touted ATM machines as a new convenience for customers. Quick and accurate banking without the fuss of standing in long lines. In order to 'persuade' customers to use ATM machines, many banks charged a fee if one went into a bank and used a teller for a transaction. Many banks still charge a fee now.
As time went on, customers were trained [acustomized] to prefer an ATM machine over human interaction. While this 'training' was going on, more and more bank employees were being laid off..bank profits were up even if the bank had to pay a small percentage to the operators of the ATM machines. This was cheaper than paying for an employee. Then the banks started charging customers to use the ATM machines. The independant ATM machine owners followed suite. Now, everyone was making money from both ends. Banks make money by investing and loaning customer deposits to other customers. Customers now have to pay to access their own money. It was a win-win situation for the banks and ATM operators. The fees offset any interest payments that the banks have to pay depositors. Businesses that had ATM machines installed on their premises wanted part of the action, so a casino or a grocery store, a bus company now gets a cut of the fees. The public became upset, so the banks said if one uses a bank's ATM machine, there will be no charge..and the public was happy. Three steps forward, one back...

Most people, if there is a sign that says 'wet paint' or 'don't push this button' will walk up and run their fingers through the wet paint or push the button. So, writing a specific book, trying to pont things out that are wrong would only be talking to the one's that already know somethings wrong.

One of CNN's chief correspondants was stationed in Iraq for 15 years. He admitted publically that he and other CNN journalists knew, for years, about the mass killings, the torture chambers, the rape rooms, the genocide, the bio weapons, the weapons of mass distruction... He gave the reason for not disclosing or publishing this information so as not to have his news office thrown out of Iraq. They did the same thing in Russia, Kosivoe, and a few other countries.. The powerful people heard him state this, yet, today, these same people say that there was zero problems in Iraq..That we are the bad guys. A book isn't going to do much good.....

23.10.2005 09:19 #21

dufas

Addendum...At the start of this forum, there is a post that asks if people still fall for these scam sites...These are the same people that vote, want what you have and more, believe that the government is their saviour and answer to all things and will follow just about any sheep herder that comes along offering anything. These people are the real problem.

My wife just reminded me that yesterday we went to get a garden composting unit. While in line, my wife mentioned that we won't need to use the garbage disposal anymore. The lady in front of us turned around and started giving us a lecture about how rotting kitchen garbage is ruining our drinking water and destroying our rivers. She went on and on getting more heated as she continued. During a lull in her tirade, I was about to ask her if she thinks there is seperate draiage systems for her sink, bath, and toilet. I was about ask if she then favours the fecal matter, urine, used tampons, ditched drugs, small dead pets, plus a miriad of other human, animal secretions that make it into the sewer system but my wife stopped me, telling me if I want to argue with a stump. there is one in our back yard that I can speak to when we get home.

People see both just what is in front of them or just what they want to see.

23.10.2005 09:52 #22

simpsim1

It's what they call selective blindness and it's been happening in the UK for years too. I think you can pretty much blame the media for a large amount of the problem.

23.10.2005 10:59 #23

simpsim1

Back on topic, I've said before that organizations such as the RIAA should be constructively targeting the Big Guys, as opposed to the little guy at the bottom, which to date has been the biggest loser. OK I'm as much against copyright theft as anyone else, but using scare tactics to bully people away from these practices is hardly constructive. In fact it seems to have brought a great deal of dislike for the organization.

23.10.2005 11:15 #24

mattmin

23.10.2005 17:23 #25

dufas

I really don't beleive that there is auch a thing as a non-partisan group. I may be pesimistic but in all my years of observing, I have yet to see a non-partisan group of any kind. Even judges from the lowest and all the way up to the supreme court are partisan.

23.10.2005 21:54 #26

mattmin

Dufas,

Maybe its HIGH time that we Adopted such a group and put them in POWER so that they could slap these groups around for all of their abuses.

And Yes I do think you are are a bit pessemistic, but after all that you have been through I can't say I blame you. :)

24.10.2005 00:35 #27

dufas

Wasn't the government offices that oversee situations such as this supposed to be non-partisan groups ???

24.10.2005 13:11 #28

mattmin

Oh Yeah That! LOL :)

24.10.2005 13:45 #29

dufas

HE HE HE HE !!!!!

24.10.2005 15:13 #30

mattmin

Now for the bad news....

If the MPAA and RIAA were never created we just Might have a little bit more freedom!

Did you check out my Kill HIPPA NOW site yet?

Mant of the freedom issues you are discussing here are discussed there...

Have fun its at:http://mattmatteroministries.org/Kill_Hipaa_Now.htm

Jesus Saves! Visit Matt Mattero Ministries � at: http://mattmatteroministries.org

24.10.2005 15:29 #31

dufas

Public domain, unless the copyright owner place a work there is dead since 1998....Along with the one dollar renewal fee to renew old copyrights, the politicians also added a new feature as noted below...

snip............................

The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act was passed in 1998. Named after the late singer-Congressman, the law extended the term of copyright protection by 20 years. Works by corporations were given protection for 95 years from the date of creation.

The legislation soon became known as the Mickey Mouse Act because Disney had pushed to have it passed before the expiry of its copyright in Mickey Mouse expired in 2003. As the law currently stands, Mickey Mouse is protected until 2023.

The law brought the US position largely into line with that in the EU. By a Directive of 1993, copyright protection became, for most works, 70 years from the date of death of the author and, for corporations, 70 years from the start of the year in which the work was created.

In 2023, all Disney has to do is pay a dollar to protect Mickey Mouse or any other works for all intents and purposes, forever.....

So, Spanky and The Gang, Laurel and Hardy, Katzand jammer, The Shadow, Buck Rogers, Flash Gorden, etc, etc, are all protected intities....

24.10.2005 16:01 #32

dufas

HIPAA....My wife works for a medical firm. They don't want the HIPAA either.

She and her colligues have looked into it witha magnifying glass.

The way the rules read, one cannot access their own records without a court order but a car dealer could get medical info under the guise of checking if you are a good credit risk. [You might not live long enough to pay you contract off...]

Employers could get your history to see if their insurance rates will go up....

Insurance companies can use the data to set your rate schedule, co-payments, and deductable amounts..

This is a small part of the Hillary Rodam Clintin health care initiative that made it through. Be happy the complete package didn't make it.

It's still the same thing as the RIAA and the MPAA is doing, just change the names to protect the guilty...

24.10.2005 16:19 #33

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