On Fri, March 23, 2007 4:32 pm, Bob La Quey wrote: > Last night I was merrily surfing the net when suddenly my browser lost its > connetion to the net ... shortly there after the following screen appeared > fraaamed in the usual Cox Communications logo and format. > > ================================================================== > The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, known as DMCA, was signed into > law by President Clinton in 1998 to provide certain remedies for a > copyright holder who has reason to believe that an Internet user is > infringing his or her copyrights. This law permits copyright holders, > or their representatives, to notify Internet service providers that > specific customers have been identified as having files containing > infringing material. As an Internet service provider, Cox > Communications respects the privacy of our customers but must also > meet our legal obligations when a DMCA infringement notice is > received. > > We have received a notice stating that your computer contains files > that infringe copyrights of a third party. Under the DMCA, we have the > responsibility to temporarily disable your Internet access, until such > time as you take the necessary steps to remove the infringing files > and to prevent further distribution of copyrighted material. Please > take the following steps immediately in order to address this request > and have your Internet access restored: > > Step 1. Remove the copyrighted files. the following files must be > deleted from your computer: > > Title: Rome > Filename: rome.209.hdtv-lol.r00 > Filesize: 15000000 > Title: Rome > Filename: rome.209.hdtv-lol.r03 > Filesize: 15000000 > [snip many similar entries] > Title: Rome > Filename: rome.209.hdtv-lol.r01 > Filesize: 15000000 > > Step 2. To avoid any future infringement, we highly recommend turning > off the sharing feature of your peer-to-peer software, such as KazAa, > Morpheus, Grokster, etc. For specific instructions on how to disable > the feature for your specific software, consult with the software > vendor. > > Step 3. After deleting the files and disabling file sharing, you may > click here to reactivate your service. Please note that reactivating > your connection without cleaning your computer first may result in > additional suspensions or permanent termination of your Cox High Speed > Internet service > > Thank you for using Cox High Speed Internet. > Cox Online Privacy Policy and related terms and agreements > ===================================================================== > > No warning, no phone number to call ... nada. > > So I called 411 got a Cox number, futzed around for a while > and got to a second tier security guy, who after a short but heated > discussion in which I am sure I used the word facist he agreed > to turn my servcie back on. His plea, "I am just the messenger." > So my resonse was "Tell your facist bosses we don't like this > kind of treatment." > > Anyway service was back up in about thirty minutes. > > A buddy who is staying with has been using Bit Torrent. > Apparently his Bit Torrent system was serving the file in > question that is "protected" by the DMCA. > > Am I the only one who has encoutered this from Cox? Have > they just started doing it? Other comments? >
I'm going to assume you weren't serving up "Rome" (because I can't think of a reason you'd want to). What if anything had they found? Also, lawyer fellows, is there any action a consumer can take against a vendor who summarily cancels service for false reasons? Breach of contract? Libel? Barratry? -- Lan Barnes SCM Analyst Linux Guy Tcl/Tk Enthusiast Biodiesel Brewer -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
