Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
Sponsor's Message
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Yes, as we all know, if something sounds too good to be true, it generally is.
Never was this old adage more true than on the Net.
Promises of millions
in commission that can be earned by assisting some African official to
launder money have caught out far too many people.
Others continue to believe that they really can earn hundreds of dollars
an hour filling out online surveys.
And there are even some who would have you believe that
"you can download 1,000,000s of movies, mp3s and game ROMs off the internet"
using a seemingly legal product.
The key word here is "seemingly".
Yes, if you trawl the DCMoviez website it all looks very legit. Indeed,
to the naive Net user it might be assumed that what's being sold here
is access to a bonafide online movie/music rental service.
The reality however is quite different.
The first clue has to be the phrase "you can download full-length backup
movies off the internet". Note the word backup carefully thrown
in there?
Even the name of the site "DCMoviez" has a hint of "warez" (aka pirated)
about it don't you think?
And look at just how many movies they claim are available for download --
a massive 43,557,451. Hell, I didn't think there were 43 million movies
in existence!
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If you're smart enough to read between the lines you'll soon realise that
what's on sale here is some simple DVD/CDR ripping/burning software of a type
that is already readily available as freeware in the form of
DVD2SVCD,
VCDEasy, and a raft
of others.
Added to this is obviously a client that taps into one or more of the
many P2P networks on which pirated movies and music are often traded.
So what you're buying here is not the implied access to legitimate
movie and music downloads but a ticket to trouble.
They've even used carefully clipped quotes from well-known publications
to further boost the image of respectability being claimed for the
product.
I'm a little unsure whether all the "testimonials" on
this page
are bona fide however. When I used Wired.com's search facility to try and
find the quote attributed to it, the search came up bare.
In short, this is a highly deceptive website that would almost certainly
breach NZ's Fair Trading act and possibly be a breach of section 39.1.c and
section 39.2.a. (Provision
of apparatus for infringing performance, etc).
of the copyright Act
But hang on, NZ's copyright laws don't apply to countries outside this country
right?
Correct -- but look at who the
administrative/technical contact is for this domain.
I wonder if Mark Ling might be exposing himself to potential problems
by being associated with a site of such questionable legality?
But above all, remember: if it sounds too good to be true....
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