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Monday, March 16, 2009

Tech Mobile Piracy

Posted by Anthony Hecht on Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 10:43 AM

A 23-year-old UK student has created an Android app that scans DVD barcodes and automatically starts a BitTorrent download of the movie onto your home computer.

The developer Alex Holmes offers this brilliant little piece of logic by way of justifying the ethically dubious app:

"I could feel bad about creating a tool that could be used for piracy," says the 23-year-old Holmes, a Bournemouth University software systems student. "However if I didn't create the tool, someone else would have."

Google doesn't control access to the Android platform the way Apple does, so it will be interesting to see the lawsuits that come from apps like this, and whether Google manages to stay insulated from liability. They've got all the money, though, so I expect they'll be hearing from the MPAA's lawyers any minute now.

Comments (6) RSS

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this is the best use of a phone and shopping ever :)

only now can you condone and enjoy a trip to walmart

Posted by nos on March 16, 2009 at 10:57 AM

Wired describes an application that saves you the effort of remembering the movie title and looking for it later as "powerful." Powerful, indeed, O hyperventilating Wired hack writer. Perhaps approaching the mighty power of the legendary Cue Cat.

I don't get why the article says this must be illegal. What if you only use it to torrent public domain movies? How do they know what the user will choose to do with the awesome power of the twenty first century Cue Cat?

Posted by elenchos on March 16, 2009 at 10:59 AM

Naw, at most Google will get some sort of namby-pamby cease-and-desist letter from the MPAA. The kid in the U.K. OTOH will have his ass hauled into the dock, and will get a completely insane amount of prison time, plus be fined a ridiculously large amount of money that it will take him most of the rest of his life to repay.

Because, the MPAA, like the RIAA, knows there's almost no risk involved in squeezing the little guy dry, but that there's an unacceptably high risk the big guy may end up being the one who squeezes them back.

Posted by COMTE on March 16, 2009 at 11:28 AM

Now if only I could scan barcodes in the grocery store and automatically start a BitTorrent download into my pantry and fridge.

Posted by rob on March 16, 2009 at 12:31 PM

Nothing illegal about bittorrent or barcode scanners. If you're going to go after people making and distributing bittorrent software, you wouldn't start here.

Posted by Lee on March 16, 2009 at 1:02 PM

Makes me wish I still had my old Cue:Cat. I might have been able to put it to some actual use.

Posted by But I DO Want To Interact With A Coke Can on March 16, 2009 at 1:18 PM