Ares Connect

Fans of the hit game, Halo, were recently amazed to discover that the eagerly awaited sequel, Reach, had been uploaded on to many popular file sharing sites for fans to download. Once news of the leak spread across the internet, popular file sharing sites were inundated with opportunistic fans seeking an illegal copy of the much awaited game.

Although the game is not scheduled for release in the UK until September 14th, there was an advanced copy available to press and reviewers on the Xbox website. Unfortunately, hackers managed to find their way through the security blocks and steal a copy of the game.

Initially, the game hijackers claimed they had no intention of releasing copies over the Internet, but since it is now available to all and sundry on file sharing sites, it appears they have since changed their minds.

Microsoft have been quick to come forward and remind users that they take a dim view on the game leak and will be leaving no stones unturned in their investigation into what happened and who was responsible—the implication being that those who might have downloaded a sneaky copy of the game had better watch out.

The brand new sequel to the wildly popular game, Halo, has recently found its way on to file sharing sites, much to the fury of the game’s manufacturer, Bungie. With Reach tipped to be the hottest release of the gaming world this year, many file sharing sites reached meltdown levels with huge numbers of people taking advantage of the illegal copies available.

The game is not due for an official UK release until September 14th, but enterprising hackers managed to breech a block on the Xbox website where an advanced copy of the game was being made available to press and reviewers.

The file format of the illegal game copies uploaded on the file sharing networks needed to be converted before it will work on games consoles, but judging by the positive feedback on many internet forums, it seems like there are plenty of people who have had no problem managing that.

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft has not been backwards in coming forward with a fast response to the digital hijack of the Halo sequel, Reach, and they have been quick to warn users of the popular file sharing sites that the leak will be “aggressively” investigated.

Leading market research company, Interpret, has recently published a fascinating report following an extensive study investigating a possible link between illegal file sharing habits and the current worldwide economic recession.

Despite many industry experts believing that there had to be a definite link between a reduction in people’s disposable income and their illegal file sharing activity, Interpret research found no discernible link whatsoever. Even though people currently have less money to spend on music and other media, this does not mean that they immediately turn to popular file sharing sites for their music and video. On the contrary, having less money makes no difference at all.

The only link between illegal file sharing and less disposable income was found in those people who reported significant cuts in spending. These people were less likely to buy CD’s and DVD’s, but slightly more likely to download music and video files from unlicensed sources.

But since these people rarely download huge amounts of music and video files, it is unlikely to make any discernible difference to industry profits, so the industry giants have little to worry about.

Most experts believed that with the economic downturn affecting the average family’s disposable income, there would be a definite rise in the number of people turning to illegal file sharing for their music and video requirements. But surprisingly a new report recently published by leading market research company, Interpret, has blown that theory out of the water.

Following extensive research, Interpret failed to find any significant links between a reduction in consumer spending habits and an increase in illegal file sharing. The only correlations found between the two were in people who had greatly reduced their spending habits. These people were reported to be less likely to buy CD’s and DVD’s, while more likely to download their music and media files from popular file sharing sites found on the Internet. The research indicated that music files accounted for the biggest proportion of files downloaded—86% of those questioned said they had downloaded illegal music, compared to only 31% admitting to downloading TV programs and movies.

Michael Dowling, CEO of Interpret, announced this was “good news”, but since small individuals rarely impact the entertainment industry’s profits, it probably won’t make much difference to the bigger picture.

In a wave of recent publicity, Torrentreactor.net recently announced that it had randomly selected the Russian outpost of Gar to be renamed as Torrentreactor. Although there has been a great deal of speculation that the entire story is a hoax, Torrentreactor.net has allegedly paid $148,000 for the privilege of renaming Gar and whilst none of the villagers have any idea who or what Torrentreactor.net actually is, there is no doubt that the money will probably come in very useful.

The village of Gar is located 100 miles from the Seversk nuclear reactor. It is very much a place that time forgot and the only income the 214 residents have is through selling their vegetables in the nearby town. When questioned by the media, the villagers said that the unexpected windfall would be used to pay for repairs to the roads as well as providing new agricultural equipment and machinery.

Torrentreactor.net, which is a well-known file sharing and BitTorrent download site, has also agreed to pay for a brand new broadband Internet connection to the village. Presumably the villagers will then be able to check out exactly who their generous “Robin Hood” benefactor really is.

Popular file sharing site, Torrentreactor.net, recently announced via its website that it has negotiated a deal to buy the rights to rename the remote Russian village of Gar. Despite a great deal of skepticism about the validity of the report, Torrentreactor.net is sticking to its claims and insists that the deal is a legitimate one that will see all 214 residents benefit from a higher standard of living as a result of the venture.

Torrentreactor.net has allegedly agreed to pay about $148,000 for the privilege of renaming the village Torrentreactor. The company says that the village, which is only 100 miles from Seversk Nuclear Reactor, currently has three computers in the entire village, only one of which enjoys Internet access via a dial-up connection.

Unsurprisingly, when questioned by the media, the local residents were rather confused about who and what Torrentreactor.net actually is, with some believing it to be a US nuclear Reactor, and others assuming it is the name of an environmental action group campaigning against nuclear reactors. But if it is true, the extra money generated by advertising revenue will help to repair roads, buy agricultural equipment and machinery, as well as aid the local school.

The iDisk app is one of many to be found on Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and iTouch, but what makes the iDisk app so useful to music lovers all over the world is the feature built into the iDisk that allows users to stream music from the “cloud” while using other apps. The iDisk app has been around for a while, but it has recently been improved and now users can stream MP3 and AAC files in the background. ITunes music files can’t be moved to an iDisk storage facility, but this feature is the only real limitation of the app thus far. It certainly integrates well with the iPhone and the iTouch devices.

At the moment, many of the large music companies, such as the Universal Music Group, are trying to force net companies to make their users subject to licenses every time they wish to download, backup, or stream music from online “cloud” services. With Apple currently locked in an ongoing battle with music companies on behalf of consumers, the music file streaming capability via the iDisk app is great news for music loving consumers everywhere.

With music file sharing an issue that is constantly in the headlines these days, reports that the iDisk app for Apple iPad and iPhone allows filesharing and playback without requiring a license is great news for music fans everywhere. The option to stream audio files from the “cloud” while using another app adds extra capability to Apple devices. Users can listen to music files from online storage areas while working. This cunning little feature is not openly listed in the features guide, but users will have no problem accessing it via their device menu.

Many music companies have been trying to force net companies to introduce licenses for users who wish to stream, download, and backup music from “cloud” services, but it seems that Apple is fighting for the rights of the common people by ignoring this request.

Sadly the app does have some limitations, as at present there is no easy way to move all of your iTunes music files to an iDisk account. However, this is definitely a step in the right direction and can only add to the increasing popularity of Apple devices such as the iTouch and iPod.

Ofcom have recently published their draft code designed to bring an end to illegal file sharing, but the Open Rights Group who advocate for more freedom on the Internet have criticized the code for being far too vague about the standard of evidence required to link the suspect to the crime.

Problems with a lack of concrete evidence have blighted many recent US court cases where the music industry has accused the elderly and children of illicit file sharing. The ORG wants to prevent a similar occurrence from happening in the UK, but lawyers acting for the Ministry of Sound have already begun sending out letters to individuals accusing them of illegal file sharing—many of whom claim to be entirely innocent.

The ORG is now calling for the draft code to be redrafted and made compliant with the recently introduced Digital Economy Act in the hope that the evidential process will be made far clearer. Until the standard of evidence and how that evidence was obtained is specified, there is likely to be many more innocent people in the UK wrongly sued by the music industry for alleged illegal file sharing.

Advocacy group, ORG, is demanding a rewrite of the Ofcom draft code designed to cut down on illegal file sharing in the UK. The internet freedom organization is concerned that the draft code is too vague about the standards of evidence required when action is taken against individuals over alleged illegal file sharing.

The Open Rights Group says that people could receive court summons based on insubstantial evidence from the internet service providers. Recent embarrassing US court cases where the music industry has sued children and the elderly over alleged file sharing have highlighted the problems of creating a chain of evidence linking the suspect to the offence.

In the UK, there has already been a flurry of letters sent out by lawyers acting for the Ministry of Sound and many recipients have expressed anger and confusion at being accused of illegal file sharing.

Jim Killock, executive director of ORG, has pointed out that the draft code written by Ofcom does not specify the standard of evidence required, or the means of obtaining such evidence, and he is calling for a fresh consultation about a new code—preferably one that is compliant with the much criticized Digital Economy Act.