OOL limiting bandwith to Kazaa users

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greenfreak

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OOL is Optimum Online--my local cable subscriber btw... :)

Cablevision targets music-swappers
System strain, copyrights both at issue

By Richard J. Dalton Jr., Newsday, 12/31/2002

Napster is dead, and now 20 of its successors could bring trouble. Cablevision's high-speed Internet service, Optimum Online, has warned its customers that uploading files using baby Napsters could violate the terms of service.

Optimum Online's warning emphasizes that Napster's successors strain its network. But without even mentioning the word ''copyright,'' the advisory also satisfies the recording industry's growing concerns about copyright infringement.

Services such as Kazaa and Morpheus allow Internet users to download music, movies, and software - potentially huge files - from the computers of others who participate in the service.

To obtain music, a computer user generally enters a song title or singer and then downloads the music file from the hard drive of another user of the software. The file is usually stored in a shared directory.

Cablevision says the setup essentially makes a home computer a server - a violation of the contract. A server is a computer that receives and sends information upon request.

Optimum Online's policy prohibits ''abuse of a resource,'' and the terms of service forbid running any server, including ''multi-user forums.'' The company recommended turning off the file sharing - or Optimum Online might temporarily reduce upload speeds.

If users of Optimum and other Internet service providers heed such warnings, it could put a brake on music-sharing. And that would be fine with the recording industry.

Matt Oppenheim, a lawyer for the Recording Industry Association of America, said the warning effectively addresses copyright infringement. ''They choose to communicate it in a way that will work best with their customers,'' he said.

While many people using Kazaa may have the same songs, music-seekers will first tap those with high-speed connections such as Optimum Online because they'll receive the song faster.

''It really puts a tax on the broadband infrastructure,'' said Wilson Craig, spokesman for Cupertino, Calif.-based Packeteer Inc., which offers network management software.

Part of the reason uploads are taxing is that a pipe carrying Internet traffic can only send or receive at any given time. Like turning a beer bottle upside down, either beer flows out or air comes in. With cable Internet access, centrally located equipment is configured to give priority to downloads, traditionally the bulk of traffic. But music-sharing software involves significant uploading.

To accommodate the use of the software, the companies can add more equipment and bandwidth, said Jerald Murphy, senior vice president of META Group, a research and consulting company in Stamford, Conn. Or they can limit access, in other words, reduce upload speeds, a cheaper option.

The Optimum Online warning comes despite Cablevision advertising that touts the ability to download music. ''With Optimum Online, you can access and download MP3s ... in just minutes,'' Cablevision says on its Web site.

The advisory annoyed an otherwise satisfied customer in Port Chester. ''I don't know how they can say it's an unlimited usage thing and then say they can limit your upload rate,'' said the 26-year-old, who asked not to be identified.

But customer Joe Ponzo, 25, of Emerson, N.J., appreciates the company's quandary. ''I understand they're trying to protect their service,'' he said.

Cablevision isn't the only broadband company concerned about file-sharing software. Earlier, Time Warner Cable's broadband Internet service, Road Runner, limited upload speeds in Texas for some customers, a spokesman said.


This story ran on page D3 of the Boston Globe on 12/31/2002.
© Copyright 2002 New York Times Co.
Click to expand...

Souce: Boston.com
 
The email sent to subscribers:

This letter was sent out to Optimum Online Subscribers on Wednesday December 18:

Subject: Email to Optimum Online Customers Regarding Bandwidth Abuse

Dear Optimum Online Subscriber:

You may be running a server from you computer and not even know it.

If you use any of the peer-to-peer file services listed below without disabling the file sharing option, the entire Internet can access the files on your hard drive. In addition, use of these services can lead to network problems that may result in your upstream speed being temporarily reduced to control this abuse of service.

Aimster, KaZaA, iMesh, Audiogalaxy, eDonkey2000, NeoModus, BearShare, Gnotella, Gnucleus, GTK-Gnutella, LimeWire, Mactella, Morpheus, Phex, Qtella, Shareaza, SwapNut, XoLoX

Don't compromise your privacy or the performance of your high-speed connection.

See http://security.uchicago.edu/peer-to-peer/no_fileshare.shtml for easy instructions on how to disable file sharing for the peer-to-peer programs listed above. You and other subscribers can then continue to enjoy Internet services at peak performance speeds. And you'll steer clear of violating the restriction against running servers (see Optimum Online Residential Terms of Service: http://www.optonline.net/tos).

For further protection and optimum performance, we also recommend all Internet users maintain firewall and antivirus software. See http://wwwl.my-etrust.com/cvision/ for a very special offer exclusive to Optimum Online subscribers.

We want you to stay online and stay protected while enjoying the best performance of Optimum Online high-speed Internet access.

Thank you for being a valued Optimum Online customer.

Sincerely,
Your Optimum Online Team
Click to expand...

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2002/cableban.html
 
Of course, the entire reason behind Morpheus and KaZaa was to share files. Once you disable the file sharing, you've violated their terms of agreement. ;)
 
Even if you don't put any files in your "My Shared Files" folder or if you disable file sharing, isn't your computer still considered a server anyway because you're running the program itself? I don't know how they work.
 
well thats bound to happen eventually. OOL was uncapped at first and gave users rediculous amounts of bandwidth, but as more and more people start sucking away, they can't realistically keep up with demand unless they cap you off.
 
More people = more $$$...Put it back into the business and quit cutting back service... Just my 2 ¢
 
I especially like the scare tactic that everyone on the internet can access your hard drive. That's rich. :rolleyes:
 
Yeah,
Charter cable says running a server program at all, gaming,
file sharing, or web serving, is against thier tos, but
as long as you don't run it 24/7 or have a real high bandwidth,
they don't say anything, unless you call out the service guy,
then some of them are asses about it.;)
 
it's not economical to continually upgrade their own bandwidth to supply to customers. They make a lot more money by only upgrading a little for a large number of new customers. bandwidth costs them a TON. they are running a business and therefore only care about their own pockets.
 
I love my ISP - Datasync (I think a part of I55 internet services).

It's DSL, static IP, and they don't give a rat's ass what kind of server I run (I host a game server, webserver, and file server). I explicitly asked them that before I signed up, and the response from several customer reps was "go right ahead, that's what we're here for."

They rock. Of course, I think they're geared more for businesses than residential, which I like, becuase they can actually troubleshoot problems for me unlike cableone or Bellsouth. :rolleyes:
 
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