It was bound to happen sooner or later, the once niche site, TVLinks grew and grew until word got around to everyone connected to the Internet and now because of its popularity, has been shut down by UK authorities.

But not only has it been shut down, the owner has been arrested.  Here’s where it gets a bit interesting, the owner himself did not upload any of the content but instead, linked to other sites that already had the content for viewers.  He was simply compiling and linking to the sites.

Even doing that, is, apparently, wrong.  ZeroPaid poses a question, “Can linking really be considered “facilitation?” If I link to TVLinks am I then a co-conspirator?”

FACT’s director general Kieron Sharp said, “The theft and distribution of films harms the livelihoods of those working in the UK film industry and in ancillary industries, as well as damaging the economy.”

Or does it?  For a comparison, the music industry as it exists today has all but shot itself in the foot, accusing almost everyone, including legitimate customers of some form of piracy and look where it stands today, crumbling and falling apart under its own weight and pressure from the outside.

Indeed, several bands have seen fit to become “free agents” as they see no revenue (or almost no revenue) from the sales of CDs.

If the movie industry and enforcement of outdated laws continues like this, it could wind up ailing like the music industry but it would be hard for good movies to get made without Hollywood (yes, I know, “Hollywood makes good movies?”).

Any attempt to visit TV Links results in a “Page not found” or a search page that looks as if the site never existed in the first place.

Related:

Entry was posted on Friday, October 19th, 2007 at 9:05 pm under Internet, Legal.

Read more entries by Jonathan Schlaffer.
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