Two of PirateBay founders have started a new file sharing service called BayFiles. The name is a fitting reminder of just where these guys came from, but according to details about how the service works, it will not operate like PirateBay—in other words, BayFiles will operate legally. Despite this claim, some still believe they are operating in a gray area plagued with many problems.

As opposed to PirateBay, among other illegal file sharing services, BayFiles intends to run its service much like MegaUpload or RapidShare in that users can upload whatever files they want, obtain a “private” link and be able to share this link with their friends. What makes this different is that at no time will anyone be able to search a database looking for files and then download to their heart’s content.

However, sharing links with friends is a loosely restricted process. Of course BayFiles is reducing a great deal of copyright infringement, but just like with MegaUpload and RapidShare, who’s going to stop someone from posting the “private” link on the Internet?! Once that happens, how long will it take for an influx of copyright infringers to disseminate the content?

It looks like BayFiles has the answer to these questions. They say that they are geared up for the takedown of any infringing content that’s reported to them by copyright holders. The catch is that since users are not able to search endlessly for files they want, copyright holders can’t either. This means that copyright holders would either have to get lucky by stumbling across their illegally shared content out on the Internet or they will have to actively search for it themselves through other search sources like Google.

A beast of this nature would never hold up against U.S. copyright laws, so instead BayFiles is being run out of Hong Kong. Since their terms indicate that they do not tolerate the uploading of copyright-protected content, BayFiles will be able to bypass any copyright laws provided that they follow through with removing the infringing content. This way they can claim that they had no prior knowledge of these files being made available to the public.

The service has both a free and paid options, with paying subscribers being able to upload and download without any limitations on size and speed. The monthly price is €5 which equates to just over $7.

My two cents

As mentioned, this service will be near impossible to monitor for infringing material, but the silver lining could be that if users can’t search for stuff, then maybe your stolen content won’t reach that far into cyberspace. On the other hand, if it spreads like wildfire, then you’re likely to get wind of it just as fast as anyone else.

Either way, there may never be a final solution to stopping digital piracy because there are just too many ways to get stuff these days. So unless all of the countries adopt similar laws regarding copyright policies and then begin to pursue violators, then we’re sure to see more and more avenues leading to stolen materials opening in the future. I’m sure even if BayFiles fails, they’ll be 5 more startups ready to fill the void.

For years, the amount of time I spend watching tv has dramatically been decreased to practically nothing. Aside from a few number of shows that I still enjoy, there’s nothing really exciting on. However, this article is not about the quality of tv—it’s about the alternative choices.

In my current house, there are six televisions all set up with boxes from AT&T UVerse. I don’t get into the downsides of AT&T UVerse here, but let’s just say being able to only watch 4 different channels at any one time across all 6 boxes is an outright crime! The worst part about this is that when that 5th person wants to come on and view a different channel, he or she has the ability to either watch one of the 4 channels being viewed or kick off the newest person to turn on their tv! Sorry, I said I wasn’t going to get into it, so let’s move on!

According to the Associated Press, eight of the nine major subscription-TV providers have lost 195,700 subscribers between April and June of this year. This group provides TV services to about 70% of the country, so these numbers equate to 0.2 percent of their 83.2 million customers. This might not seem like a lot, but if this trend continues, who knows what may happen.

Actually I have some theories on that! First of all, why are people leaving their tv services? One major contributor to this downsizing is the economy. Naturally, when times are tough and unemployment rates are high, people begin to trim expenditures where they can afford to. “Afford” in this case means where people are willing to let go of some luxuries. For some reason, they’d rather eat than to watch tv.

In the last few years, Verizon, AT&T and DirecTv have all been ‘stealing’ customers away from the big cable companies like Time Warner and Cox which would explain for their continued losses year after year, but now all of these companies are starting to feel the burn. Another contributing factor in the losses is assumed to be Internet video sites. More and more younger people are getting their entertainment fix on sites like YouTube, Hulu and Netflix. In the case of Hulu, users are opting to wait a day or two before their favorite show appears on the site opting to watch it there instead of sitting in front of their tv.

Even for those wishing to watch Hulu on their tv, they can do so now with their Blu-ray player or Xbox system. YouTube and Hulu are free while Netflix charges $7.99 for the streaming of any available DVD they offer which includes feature films and plenty of television shows that have appeared on DVD discs. Hulu Plus offers customers the ability to watch shows online with less commercials and usually a lot sooner than the free users. No matter how you slice it, these online services can undercut tv subscriptions any day of the week.

However, as the paradigm shifts, we can surely expect an increase in fees that we pay to those online services because afterall, they have to pay for the content too and what do you think all the tv and movie studios are going to charge them if they can’t get their money from advertisers?

My two cents

There is no direct comparison between cable tv and Internet tv simply because with Internet tv, you have to find everything you’re looking for and constantly change videos as each of them end and that requires work. Part of the enjoyment of watching tv is having the never-ending flow of programming at your disposal without having to get up and do anything about it.

As for me, I spend most of time at a computer both for work and pleasure, so it’s a natural thing for me to watch tv and movies online. However, I don’t watch much of anything anymore due to my hectic schedule so I could do without the tv service and most of the online stuff, but I’ll never get rid of my Netflix!

If owning YouTube wasn’t enough, now the technology giant sets its sights on Hulu. Currently, Hulu is a jointly-owned outfit run by the likes of Disney, NBC Universal and News Corp. The service picks up the slack where YouTube drops it off—broadcasting tv shows and other specials that are wholly owned by mass media outlets like NBC Universal, CBS, ABC, etc.

If this purchase were to happen, it would be hard to imagine what or who could get in Google’s way. Google already has the largest and most popular search engine today and the most populated self-promoting video site available. If they add Hulu to that mix, they would have a trifecta from hell! Well, maybe it won’t be that bad, but the idea that one company could theoretically be at the helm of the web’s top three search, video and tv site is pretty scary.

Google is already in hot water over allegations that they favor their own services in search results when compared to paying advertisers. Their complaint is that other companies can’t compete with Google due to the massive amount of services and products they offer. I have to agree, but is all these ill-thoughts toward Google valid? I mean, if a company makes great products and people love using them, how is it their fault that competitors have it tough?

At any rate, the Hulu purchase would further allow Google into the connected devices of Americans all over the country via the Hulu Plus subscription. Hulu Plus allows paying members the ability to connect Hulu accounts to almost any media device: Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, smartphones, Internet-tvs and those new refrigerators that have built-in wi-fi and LCD screens. Google had already expressed major interest in a Google TV service that offered these features. Maybe it’s safe to say that Google can now proceed with that idea and adding Hulu to the mix as a fore-front content provider. Or maybe Google can simply re-brand Hulu into Google TV.

Whatever the case may be, let’s just hope things get better instead of worse. Right now, there’s an epidemic of floundering websites and media services that come and go by the night, all competing for your eyes. Only time will tell who the victor is, but one thing’s for sure, the mega powerhouse Google is not going away anytime soon.