MPAA sets up P2P sites

RATHER THAN STOPPING P2P sites in their tracks, the Motion Picture Association of America has decided to set up a few of its own.

However, the sites have been built by the MPAA outfit Media Defender as honeypots in a bid to entrap P2P users.

Once a person has logged onto one of the sites, the MPAA records the sharers IP address and then sues them into a coma for a huge wodge of cash.

One site has been identified as MiiVi.com. It has a user registration, forum, and "family filter", offers complete downloads of movies and "fast and easy video downloading all in one great site."

The site offers software which it claims is to speed up downloading process. However it actually searches your computer for other copyrighted files and reports back to the MPAA laywers.

According to tech.blorge, MiiVi is registered to Media Defender according to a whois search. A magazine called ZeroPaid discovered the link and shortly afterwards the registrar information was changed. However the address was still that of MediaDefender. Later the site was down and it is possible that Media Defender pulled the plug on the operation.

Anyone caught by such a site would have a fair bit of law on their side. The United States has a lot of case law against entrapment although the MPAA might just be hoping that most people will settle out of court. µ