Student guilty of copyright infringement for running subtitle site

The 25-year-old student owner of Norsub.com has been found guilty of copyright infringement.

Norsub offered downloads to millions of subtitle files for TV shows and movies.

Although they admitted that the man made no money from the site, prosecutors demanded jail time for the charges. In the end, the student received no jail time but will have to pay a $2500 fine.

The subtitle files, which help foreign and deaf people read along with the video, can be downloaded in seconds and enabled through media players like VLC, MPC and others.

Norsub had just reached one million downloads after three years of operation.

The subtitles were available for many pirated video releases, ranging from CAM rips to 1080p Blu-ray copies.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Jun 2012 15:26

biglo30

So much for helping the deaf people and others who can't understand another language.

10.6.2012 16:47 #1

stuntz0rZ

That's funny... I never heard of that website. subscene is still up ! ! !

10.6.2012 17:15 #2

shummyr

This is stupid, all this person is doing is making it easier for people to watch there tv and movies, that do not come default with subtitles

10.6.2012 17:52 #3

CNDLG

Originally posted by shummyr: This is stupid, all this person is doing is making it easier for people to watch there tv and movies, that do not come default with subtitles
I bet it was subtitles for the cams that got him into trouble. If he didn't offer those they probably wouldn't have cared.

10.6.2012 18:00 #4

shummyr

Quote:I bet it was subtitles for the cams that got him into trouble. If he didn't offer those they probably wouldn't have cared. That is probably true

10.6.2012 18:01 #5

ThePastor

This is interesting. I was just contemplating all of the "side services" that make the viewing of video a much easier and better thing.
Services like Sub sites or image cataloging like theTVDB.com or even TV Show Theme download sites.
It is all DIY stuff, done by the users for themselves. And the result is a far better product then any media company could ever do. Hell, I don't think Netflix even has subs yet. Certainly not for everything.

So, how does one get busted for copyright, for posting SUBS??? How are those copyrighted? Anyone can sit there and type out the dialog of a movie. There are dozens of sites which offer the service.

I find this troubling. Maybe they are going to start to go after our support sites instead of trying to get the uploaders. Trying to make it as difficult for us as possible.
Not sure. I'm going to keep an eye out for more of this type of stuff.

Oh, Im sorry... Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?

10.6.2012 22:48 #6

ZippyDSM

Ok sorry you just can't copy write such things these days. ><

Then again with the patent wars having no end we are fcking screwed!

Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/

10.6.2012 23:55 #7

xboxdvl2

but did he actually make the subs or did he just steal them from another site.

dont see how hey can say the subs were available for pirated movies unless the movies the subs are available for cant legally be viewed.dont think its illegal to go to the movies and write down word for word what the characters are saying while watching it.

R.I.P. mr 1990 ford falcon.got myself a 1993 toyota corolla seems to run good.computers still going good.

11.6.2012 01:40 #8

xnonsuchx

Originally posted by biglo30: So much for helping the deaf people and others who can't understand another language.
That would be helping other criminals who have illegal ripped videos.

11.6.2012 01:49 #9

Mrguss

I like this guy. He provided a free service of public interest; thing that pay web-sites or some movies do not even offer.
On one hand a Good Entrepreneurship & on the other hand The Governments, Monopolies, Hollywood, etc control freaks.

+5000

11.6.2012 03:31 #10

KillerBug

How dare he try to help people? And for free? String him up!!!

11.6.2012 22:09 #11

LordRuss

The only thing I can think of is that the 'subs' are based on the scripts of the movies, which are in turn (obviously) copywritten. Even though he probably didn't have a thing to do with writing the subs, he's hosting the means to get to them.

He's a student & with no means to defend himself, i.e., kick the little man while he is dead, in the ground & abuse his ancestors for the next 3 generations because that's what financial elitist bullies do.

We all KNOW he isn't the one 'doing' the subbing, as the pure volume of entertainment out there is simply too staggering. What we now need is for the community who feeds our offline entertainment against the Hollywood greed machine to step up & start helping fishbait like this poor guy who really aren't doing anything wrong.

We can all argue the gray area in which his operation is floating, but it is a great help. How many other countries are there movies that simply don't have their language available? Or better still, piss poorly translated (something I'm tired of)?

Bob Dylan said it best, "Times, they are a changin..." Independents are getting better & better at production & Hollywood is pissing away their production budget on BS litigation like this & finding additional ways of fleecing its audience on ways to repurchase garbage entertainment.

Music artists have been getting more creative about it. How about the independant's follow in a similar fashion? It's a thought.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

12.6.2012 15:00 #12

GernBlan

I suspect he got in trouble for sub rips (ripped from a commercial DVD or BR source). It would be very difficult for them to do anything about custom-created subtitles.

14.6.2012 12:46 #13

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by GernBlan: I suspect he got in trouble for sub rips (ripped from a commercial DVD or BR source). It would be very difficult for them to do anything about custom-created subtitles.
The trouble is they are treated the same.

14.6.2012 12:53 #14

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