Has anyone ever been busted by the RIAA from using WinMX?

[Mike89]

I used to use WinMX before it was officially closed down. After reading of various people getting sued by the RIAA for downloading/uploading music, I got nervous and un-installed it before it closed down.

Recently I installed it again with the help of all you guys and the patch thinking I would give it a try again (and was curious to see if it really did work again). I am now wondering how risky it actually is to use it.

Feedback appreciated. Thanks

[..Ñøßߥ..]

To the communities knowledge nobody has ever been sued using Winmx.

[Mike89]

Well that's sure good to know. I don't want to have sweat coming down my face everytime I open it to look for a song! Heh heh. I think a lot of people have WinMX open 24/7. I was never that brave.

[Sable]

the RIAA can´t get you for having winmx or for using it as a chat program. but if you share illegal files with it then they can sued you.
illegal files are all copyrighted stuff like music, movies and software.
so if you trade it then be very careful from who you download or who is uploading from you

[Mike89]

Well that last post makes me nervous again. Why else does one use WinMX? It's not just to go chat. You say be careful who I download music from. How is one to know this? I just search for a song and download it from where it's available. I am just interested in oldies music as I'm an old dude who has no use for the crap that's being played by the youngsters today.

[Love]

That's why u need to use Pie Auto Updater patch with pglite. Pglite is a firewall with riaa flooders and riaa agents blocked in it. That is how u protect yrself. They can't access u... fyi winmx is not illegal to use. Even the Feds used winmx to catch pedophiles on winmx b4. They know winmx isn't an illegal program to use. U can even download on winmx and it isn't even illegal. The only thing that is illegal for US citizens is uploading. Pls note that UK and Canada and many other countries do not practice the same US piracy law.

For those who want to know how to update to the Pie Auto Updater which comes with pglite read here : http://www.vladd44.com/mx/piepatch.php and those who need help getting it installed pls come to Vladd44 Help room here where we can help u : http://www.vladd44.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=6514

[Mike89]

How about if they posed as a WinMX user and started downloading from everybody? Couldn't they find the users that way (tracking where they got the music from)?

[Sable]

in my country they have students which are uploading from you and thats how they get your ip. pglite won´t help !!!
many people are using winmx as a chat client which isn´t illegal

[Love]

PGLite helps cos we have a list of riaa agents already blocked in it... but isn't foolproof for the above points u both made. Like my previous post, know where u r from, what laws exist in yr country and be careful.

[Mike89]

in my country they have students which are uploading from you and thats how they get your ip.

Well they aren't uploading from me because for some reason (maybe my router or firewall or something) no one can get any files from me in WinMX. I can download but not upload. I can't even get a primary connection (same reason I think), only secondary.

[Love]

Mike,

pls come to Vladd44 Help room here where we can help u : http://www.vladd44.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=6514

We can unblock yr ports for u thru firewall and router configuration and help u go to a primary connection

[Mike89]

At this point I don't know that I want to be able to do those things. I have WinMX running with the pieupdater and I can download fine. As far as my comments about not being able to get a primary connection, the secondary is working fine. As for not being able to upload, right now that's fine with me too as I'm still quite nervous about running WinMX anyway. At this point I'm not too crazy about putting my music up for upload and possibly exposing myself to being sued. I didn't set WinMX on purpose to not be able to upload but maybe it's a good thing as it minimizes my liabilities. I do want to share but I don't want to get sued by those bastards and lose everything I own either.

[Mike89]

I guess if one was so into the WinMX chat room that they knew a lot of people personally to share music with, that would be a little safer but still not foolproof as the music folder you set up in WinMX would still be available through a search from anyone. As far as I know, the RIAA doesn't even have to prove you actually uploaded anything, just that you had it available to upload. Then they come up with some screwy set of probability numbers to calculate a monetary amount of damages. THAT scares the crap out of me!

[Vladd44]

As for not being able to upload, right now that's fine with me too as I'm still quite nervous about running WinMX anyway. At this point I'm not too crazy about putting my music up for upload and possibly exposing myself to being sued.

So your ok with getting something from other people who are taking what you perceive as a risk (sharing) while you give nothing in return.

Not that it is a guarantee, but the RIAA's priorities are to focus on their money generators, which is their new music. Old music is not the primary concern.

I expect the ruling in the single case of someone being sued over sharing mp3s to be modified on appeal. It is an excessive penalty that will not hold up in appeal.

Having said this, ofc there is a risk you could be sued. You can be sued for almost anything.

[DragonRider]

A little old lady in California sued McDonald's because she bought a cup of coffee and spilled it on her cootchie and got burned...she said McDonald's didn't warn her that the coffee was hot...people get sued for the most ridiculous things...your chances of getting sued by the RIAA are about the same as getting struck by lightning or winning the Irish Sweepstakes...

[Sable]

2 guys which lived in my street were in prison for downloading music and movies. some other in my town also but i dunno where they downloaded. they mentioned winmx, kazaa and some others in the newspapers. i didn´t know these guys but i saw the police carrying some computers out of the house and many parcels with cd´s. i think they downloaded and sold the cd´s. its 4 years ago and the law in my country is much harder now.
if you download then you must share something or the people will put you on ignore. if you don´t download in a big style then do it right and give the people something too.

[Mike89]

So your ok with getting something from other people who are taking what you perceive as a risk (sharing) while you give nothing in return.

I figured I was going to get a comment like that. OK, if I go to the chatroom to get instructions on how to get a primary connection (which I also assume will enable me to upload?). Do I ask for anyone specifically or just start asking?

[Love]

You can ask for me, Mike. My screen name there in Vladd44 Help room here : http://www.vladd44.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=6514 is Kayleigh. Yes I can unblock yr ports, help u to get on primary and even upload. See u soon.

[Knot4Prophet]

A little old lady in California sued McDonald's because she bought a cup of coffee and spilled it on her cootchie and got burned...she said McDonald's didn't warn her that the coffee was hot...people get sued for the most ridiculous things

Actually Drago, that is a poor example of lawsuits made in frivolity. The temperature of their coffee was far too high and caused third degree burns. This whole nonsense about frivolous lawsuits costing us all is just that: nonsense. It's a move by corporations to limit our ability to sue for damages, period. Even the best known example of a "frivolous" lawsuit is false. Read "The Myth of the Coffee Lawsuit"

Also, keep in mind that U.S. businesses file far times more lawsuits, collectively, than do private citizens..."and they are penalized by judges much more often for pursuing frivolous litigation..."

At this point I don't know that I want to be able to do those things. I have WinMX running with the pieupdater and I can download fine. As far as my comments about not being able to get a primary connection, the secondary is working fine. As for not being able to upload, right now that's fine with me too as I'm still quite nervous about running WinMX anyway. At this point I'm not too crazy about putting my music up for upload and possibly exposing myself to being sued. I didn't set WinMX on purpose to not be able to upload but maybe it's a good thing as it minimizes my liabilities. I do want to share but I don't want to get sued by those bastards and lose everything I own either.

Well Mike, in addition to Vladd's point raised about the ethics of you receiving files at no risk to you but not reciprocating in kind, you should also consider that if everyone were to adopt your attitude, there would be no peer to peer networks. And keep in mind that there are programs which automatically block leeches and numerous rooms and people on WinMx who also block people for not sharing files.

I share files all the time, the maximum. I don't care whether the law declares it illegal or not. I know what is right and what is wrong. I have grown up with old vinyl albums, 8-track tapes, cassettes, cds, etc. With the advent of recordable cassette tapes we have always been allowed to copy music we paid for and share it with friends. To begin with, the tape recordings we made back then (and compressed mp3 as well) are of sub-optimum quality - they aren't worth jack shit.

Also, no one is making any money off of artists recordings using peer to peer networks, it's just a macro-evolved system of information sharing that has always happened, through one media or another. And let's not forget that:

File-Sharing Is No Threat to Music Sales

Plus, recording artists have always gotten a cut from sales of blank media used for recording.

Perhaps a class action lawsuit just might be in order, against the RIAA for their constant abuse of peer to peer networks that legally share information and their launching of truly frivolous lawsuits. Or is that too frivolous?

[Mike89]

Hey Love. I'm in the chatroom right now and saw your offer to help (I'm mikeopam). Problem is I don't know how to respond. Pressing my keys does nothing.

[Love]

heh I helped Mike in the Vladd44 Help room today ... helped him to get a primary connection and tested him out. He can't upload due to Comcast his isp blocking his uploads. But he can download and I checked out everything else for him. Case closed.

[Mike89]

Yeah, I guess I'm a legitimate WinMX Vampire now. That sucks. I gave it a shot to try not to be a leeching song sucker. With all the ISP's that Love listed as blocking, that considerably shrinks the WinMX community to just about zilch. In the US at least.