The Sims 3 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. [CLOSED]

by Guest Sat 04 Aug 2012, 10:35

Hello, as you can see I am fairly new to this forum and I don't really know my way around it. The reason why I'm complaining is I was just about ready with all my expansions that I downloaded from your account on The Pirate Bay because I've been having problems with all sorts of things for the past couple of days. I finally got it all straighten out today at a pretty late time and was overjoyed with everything working again. I was just waiting for The Sims 3 Town Life Stuff to download so I could have absolutely no more problems from what I saw. I got called over by my dad shortly after quitting the game and apparently Comcast, our internet provider, found out I had "Copyrighted Material" or something like that from The Sims 3 Master Suite Stuff that violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The thing that really upsets me is that is was from only one expansion pack/stuff pack and that was the RAR file that I downloaded and equipped in uTorrent and then extracted with WinRar. So, I was forced to delete every expansion pack I had downloaded so my dad wouldn't "go to jail or get in trouble". Don't get me wrong, you guys are magnificent and I can't thank you enough for what you did for many others and myself included. Downloading all those expansion packs/stuff packs was honestly the highlight of my summer because I could never afford the other expansions packs/stuff packs and my parents never bought me them for my birthday or Christmas. I was so excited when my friend told me she had all the other Sim games installed on her computer for free as I could finally play them without paying thirty or so dollars. The thing is that I originally had The Sims 3 downloaded on my computer and my friend brought over The Sims 3 Ambitions for me to install and play with. I had a problem with my Sims 3 game and was forced to uninstall it and download it from TPB. I had to delete that too so now I only have Ambitions, which I can't play because the base game is gone too. I'm now feeling sad and mad over the whole situation and feel like I didn't need to have EA on my case if the games weren't so bloody expensive. Is this the first time you guys have heard of this? Has this happened to anyone else? What should I do now? Also, does anyone know where I can buy The Sims 3 expansion packs/stuff packs for cheap or not so expensive? That seems like my only opinion. By the time I have all the expansion packs, EA will come out with more and more things and it upsets me that I have to spend all that money for old games and then spend more money on newer games. Anyways, I hope this doesn't annoy you guys or come off as whiny but I just felt like saying all this since it's so frustrating. Thank you.

by **Admin** Sat 04 Aug 2012, 17:05

Hello,

Thank you for your extensive post. Don't worry, the letter you/your dad got is pretty normal in the US. No, you or your dad won't go to jail, it's just a warning letter to scare you. And it looks like it did work.
You didn't have to remove the files from your PC, because after you download them, your ISP can't see what you're doing with the files any more. If you still have them in your recycle bin, just restore them and use them safely. ISP's can only track your up- and downloads, nothing else on your PC!

If you friend still has the files, you can copy them from their PC to yours via an USB stick.
There's not much I can say or do about it, I'm afraid. Just stay "cool" for a while and then you may want to download again; one by one, perhaps.

by Guest Sun 05 Aug 2012, 09:30

You're welcome! Thank you for taking the time to reply to me! I hope you don't mind but I have a couple more questions to ask you. If I try to download all expansion packs/stuff packs I once had through uTorrent and then extract them with WinRAR, will I get another warning message from my internet provider? Would it be safer/easier to ask my friend if she can give them to me via a USB like you suggested? If I do download them again, which I sadly doubt because my dad doesn't want to deal with our internet provider harassing us again, do I delete the files from both uTorrent and WinRar immediately after I download? I unfortunately uninstalled everything thanks to my dad and I don't have anything anymore; not even in our recycle bin. How long should I wait? I REALLY want to play The Sims 3 again but I don't want trouble from my dad, EA, and Comcast. The weird thing is I downloaded all the expansions/stuff packs from your website last Friday and it took EA until yesterday to find out about my files. The file was The Sims 3 Master Suite Stuff that I downloaded again after experienced problems with my base game and The Sims 3 Showtime. I'm also apparently getting a new internet provider apparently, which is a plus. Do you think this new provider will send my another warning message if I try to recover everything? I told my friend about the message I received and asked her if she got anything like what I got. She was rather lucky because she has SureWest and didn't received anything. Sorry for yet another long message. I keep it short next time. Thank you!

by **☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠** Sun 05 Aug 2012, 11:23

Hello,

It's really a matter of chance. And it may depend on how much you're downloading during a given period of time. Deleting them immediately probably doesn't help. You're discovered as you're downloading. Having the RAR's on your pc has nothing to do with it.
To tell you the truth, I think you're best bet is to ask your friend to put the RAR's on USB or an external HD.

by Guest Mon 06 Aug 2012, 11:11

i didn't have this because i'm from Malaysia which means i can download pirated content

by Guest Tue 07 Aug 2012, 01:25

Thank you so much for replying! I recently just asked my friend if she could copy all the files I once had onto a USB but I have yet to hear back from her....I may try to download them again one by one like you suggested if my friend doesn't come through.

by Guest Wed 08 Aug 2012, 13:00

There is one thing you can do on the Utorrent and that is to choose Options>Prefrences>BitTorrent>under Protocol encryption choose Forced and make sure that FORCED is chosen and a check mark next to Allow incoming legacy Connections is chosen. This will kill the ability for your IP to know what you are downloading. Hope this helps. It has helped me since 1994 and I am in the U.S NEW YORK that is.

The Sims 3 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. [CLOSED] 294340757

The Sims 3 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. [CLOSED] 294340757

I download at least 200 Gigs a month maybe more.
Just checked 282 Gigs in the past 8 days.

by **Admin** Wed 08 Aug 2012, 13:06

Haakonas wrote:There is one thing you can do on the Utorrent and that is to choose Options>Prefrences>BitTorrent>under Protocol encryption choose Forced and make sure that FORCED is chosen and a check mark next to Allow incoming legacy Connections is chosen. This will kill the ability for your IP to know what you are downloading. Hope this helps. It has helped me since 1994 and I am in the U.S NEW YORK that is.

I download at least 200 Gigs a month maybe more.

Hello,

That method looks good, but it won't protect you from your ISP. The encryption method used is way to low, even your ISP can crack it and still find out what you're doing.
Don't rely on that option too much! If uTorrent wanted to use a full, modern encryption, downloads would probably get very slow.

by Guest Thu 09 Aug 2012, 22:42

Admin wrote:
Haakonas wrote:There is one thing you can do on the Utorrent and that is to choose Options>Prefrences>BitTorrent>under Protocol encryption choose Forced and make sure that FORCED is chosen and a check mark next to Allow incoming legacy Connections is chosen. This will kill the ability for your IP to know what you are downloading. Hope this helps. It has helped me since 1994 and I am in the U.S NEW YORK that is.

I download at least 200 Gigs a month maybe more.
Hello,

That method looks good, but it won't protect you from your ISP. The encryption method used is way to low, even your ISP can crack it and still find out what you're doing.
Don't rely on that option too much! If uTorrent wanted to use a full, modern encryption, downloads would probably get very slow.

You are correct in that thought but as I have had this ISP since my first DOWNLOAD many many years ago my thought is that as long as I pay the bill they could care less.

by **Dracos66** Fri 17 Aug 2012, 06:59

Not every ISP monitors user downloads like ComCast does thankfully. Of course no other ISP hates Torrent programs and TPB like ComCast does either Very Happy

One trick you may be able to try is downloading through a proxy server. How-To-Geek has a step by step article that explains how you can do this
HERE , it also tells you how to setup better encryption than uTorrent's default encryption.

by Guest Sun 26 Aug 2012, 21:09

Thank you guys for all the help! Sorry it took me so for me to reply.

//EDIT

I have another quick question? I have a new internet provider and I was
wondering if I should re-download everything or get the files from my
friend, which I still haven't done.

by **Admin** Sat 01 Sep 2012, 23:03

ririkori wrote:Thank you guys for all the help! Sorry it took me so for me to reply.

//EDIT

I have another quick question? I have a new internet provider and I was
wondering if I should re-download everything or get the files from my
friend, which I still haven't done.

Hello,

Whatever is easier for you. If you think it's safer to get them from your friend, do that.
If it's not an issue, re-download them one by one.

by Guest Wed 05 Sep 2012, 02:50

You know you can buy these games very cheaply on Ebay. I've got all mine there for well under $20.00. If you are really worried about it, then try there.

by Guest Mon 10 Sep 2012, 23:28

Just a recommendation, as long as you are using Comcast, avoid downloading copyrighted material. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is very serious and is not to be taken lightly. I live in the U.S. and I understand "law" better than the average citizen. It's not a scare tactic, its basically the equivalent of a parking ticket. You'll be monitored more closely by your ISP, plus, if you are caught again EA Games may file a lawsuit against your parents. This would mean your parents would be paying a lot. It is also possible that you would then face criminal charges if the state decided to charge you with theft or something worse.

I still would recommend asking for your friend to give you the files just to be safe. If you would like to take the risk of downloading them, you should use a proxy to mask the data transfer. A few other safety measures would be to use peer block along with data encryption in utorrent. There are other things you could do, but the big thing is using a proxy.

Admin, please do a little more research into U.S. law before you give people a green light. Its not normal, in fact, its extremely abnormal to receive a letter from your ISP. I've never had issues with mine even with unencrypted data transfer, but for others it can be a serious issue. I've had friends under Comcast who have been caught and sued for this exact reason. So please remember, a DMCA letter is not something to shrug your shoulders to.

by **☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠** Tue 11 Sep 2012, 07:50

Hello Forumspy,

Thank you for your reply. Indeed we do not know that much about what is going on in your country.
I do understand the fines are ridiculous.

I guess it is better to be safe than sorry.

by **Admin** Tue 11 Sep 2012, 15:20

ForumSpy wrote:Admin, please do a little more research into U.S. law before you give people a green light. Its not normal, in fact, its extremely abnormal to receive a letter from your ISP. I've never had issues with mine even with unencrypted data transfer, but for others it can be a serious issue. I've had friends under Comcast who have been caught and sued for this exact reason. So please remember, a DMCA letter is not something to shrug your shoulders to.

Hello there,

I was summing up things I've learned from the past and other users. Of course, there are always exceptions, so you never knows.
But the law says a lot of things. For example, here in The Netherlands it's extremely illegal to download games and stuff, but look at this website, it's actually being hosted in The Netherlands. A lot of tactics are used just to scare.

If you're really worried about downloading stuff, then just don't or use a VPN. Proxies are usually easy to track down too.

by **☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠** Tue 11 Sep 2012, 17:55

Admin wrote:For example, here in The Netherlands it's extremely illegal to download games and stuff, but look at this website, it's actually being hosted in The Netherlands. A lot of tactics are used just to scare.

Indeed I have never received so much as a warning and I've been familiar with, and have used, torrents for about 10 years now and before that I was using sites like Napster. My ex used to download about 15-20 various tv series episodes a week in addition to software and games. I have (a wild guess) over 200GB worth of games and those were downloaded during a time that most games were 500 Mb max.

by **Admin** Tue 11 Sep 2012, 17:58

Lady ElDi wrote:My ex used to download about 15-20 various tv series episodes a week in addition to software and games.

Hello there,

I don't think those were just TV series, Lady ElDi... The Sims 3 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. [CLOSED] 2279017149

by **☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠** Tue 11 Sep 2012, 17:59

LOL who cares, that thing you're suggesting doesn't bother me and at least the jack*** left me alone Very Happy

.

But anyway, we did watch a lot of series from Friends to That 70's Show to Battlestar Galactica to Dr Who and more. In addition to that he collected classic series like MASH.

by Guest Sun 16 Sep 2012, 05:19

Thank you so much guys for all the feedback! I've been buying Sims 3 stuff packs/expansion packs whenever they are on sale. That seems like the best option as of now.

by Guest Tue 25 Sep 2012, 23:21

Oh really is this for real?

I live in philippines and all of my STUFF in my desktop are pirated.

Trust me I didn't pay any software except hardware of course

LMAO

by **☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠** Wed 26 Sep 2012, 09:33

Drazard wrote:Oh really is this for real?

I live in philippines and all of my STUFF in my desktop are pirated.

Trust me I didn't pay any software except hardware of course

LMAO

I think I have 3, maybe 4 store bought games. For PC that is, and that's the 2 Elder Scrolls titles I played on PC (III and IV), an original copy of Knights&Merchants (though I've downloaded K&M The Peasant Rebellion) and The Settlers. I got 2 out of the 4 from my father though lol.
Other than that my version of windows XP is legit, but only because my dad had leftover software from a number of years ago which he installed at work (he's the IT coordinator at work) and the same goes for my Office software.
I did recently get an Xbox and bought 3 games for it.

by **Admin** Thu 27 Sep 2012, 19:41

Drazard wrote:Oh really is this for real?

I live in philippines and all of my STUFF in my desktop are pirated.

Trust me I didn't pay any software except hardware of course

LMAO

Hello there,

Yes, but I think you can buy pirated discs in your country too.
I know that kind of countries, where "original" stuff seriously doesn't exist, lol!

Lady ElDi wrote:
I did recently get an Xbox and bought 3 games for it.

Wait, wut? The Sims 3 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. [CLOSED] 2279017149

by **☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠** Thu 27 Sep 2012, 20:58

Admin wrote:

Lady ElDi wrote:
I did recently get an Xbox and bought 3 games for it.
Wait, wut?

Uhm yes, hubby really wanted one and acquired it. Don't ask, I didn't either. He sometimes gets good stuff for cheap from junkies Laughing

Then we got some disney game for our daughter, and Assassins Creed Brotherhood and Revelations for ourselves. Then I got Skyrim for my birthday.
I don't know when I'll be able to get my pc. We have other priorities and this was a quicker options.
I have to get used to the controller and our tv is too small but, on the other hand, playing a game from the comfort of a recliner has its advantages.

by **Admin** Thu 27 Sep 2012, 22:17

Woah, Lady ElDi goin' badass' again! Shocked

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