Archive of thenextweb.com
Written on 3rd November 2008
78 COMMENTS 
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Serial Internet Entrepreneur
Yes, you heard it right. Windows 7 is available as a free download from this url. Of course we wouldn’t advise you to download it as it is illegal to do so. The only thing you will need, if you feel ballsy, is a BitTorrent client and some patience. Oh, and it might be smart to install this on a separate PC and not your main PC as this is just a pre-release version of Windows 7 which was distributed at a Professional Developers Conference last week. Still, it would be cool to have it before 99.99% of the rest of the world. So don’t go and get it but do let us know how it works out for you if you do…
If you are not planning on downloading Windows 7 but are interested how it looks check out this video:
Written on 21st July 2008
1 COMMENT
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Serial Internet Entrepreneur
Earlier this month it was announced that the G8 nations were considering a new Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement which might make it possible for airport customs officials to search for illegal downloads on iPods, mobile phones and laptops.
Think about that for a second. Recent research by the British Music Rights group found that the average teenager and student has 800 illegal downloads on their MP3 player. How many music files do you own of which you don’t exactly remember where you got them from? Ever take them with you on your MacBook or iPod when you travel? Yeah, me too.
Fortunately the chances of this actually happening are slim. That hasn’t stopped some people in the technology business to, eh, freak out. In reality the proposed agreement is aimed at larger smugglers of
illegal DVDs and other media files. As they say in the report detailing the proposal “border measures, particularly how to deal with large-scale intellectual property infringements, which can frequently involve criminal elements”.
But in theory, if the tools were there, one day it could just as well be applied to that iPhone in your pocket.
Written on 6th May 2008
3 COMMENTS
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Serial Internet Entrepreneur
A Swedish court has convicted a 31 year old file-sharer for uploading 4,500 music tracks and 30 movies with the filesharing application Direct Connect. He was fined to 10000 kronor ($1650) and will have to pay the cost of the trial which will be another 44670 kronor ($7360).
Interestingly enough the court blames the industry for a part of the mess they created. That is also why the 31-year-old was not sent to prison but instead given a suspended sentence and a fine.
According to Sweden’s Anti-Piracy Agency (APB) this is an important case because it will set an example and general a matter of principle for other file-sharers. “It’s clear that the court takes seriously the extensive infringement of which the man is guilty. The huge amount of illegal file sharing which takes place in Sweden causes creators tremendous harm,” said APB’s lawyer Sara Lindbäck.
But I can’t imagine that the open accusation from this court that they have themselves to blame is the result they were hoping for. My guess is that most File-sharers will use this verdict more as an excuse to share and download content more than before. After all, even a judge agrees that the current situation is a mess.
More background information in this post at TorrentFreak.com.
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