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October 25, 2007

Oink founder Alan Ellis: 'I haven’t done anything wrong'

Telegraph | Read Full Story >

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t believe my website breaks the law. They don’t understand how it works.

“The website is very different from how the police are making it out to be. There is no music sold on the site – I am doing nothing wrong.

“When I set up the site I didn’t think I was doing anything illegal and I still don’t. There are 180,000 users and there has been an outcry about what has happened to me.

“People who download music also buy CDs as well. A lot of people download music on the internet to get a taste of it and then later buy the CD.

“But I don’t sell music to people, I just direct them to it. If somebody wants to illegally download music they are going to do it whether my site is there or not.

“If this goes to court it is going to set a huge precedent. It will change the internet as we know it.

“As far as I am aware no-one in Britain has ever been taken to court for running a website like mine. My site is no different to something like Google.

“If Google directed someone to a site they can illegally download music they are doing the same as what I have been accused of. I am not making any Oink users break the law. People don’t pay to use the site.”


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9 Comments

#1 kneejerk says:

Man, I wish I could walk around as self-deluded as this clown.
Must be a nice way to look at life.

#2 Matthew says:

Sounds like he is getting ready to flip on his own user base. Oink members should be looking over their shoulders for a while.

“But I don’t sell music to people, I just direct them to it. If somebody wants to illegally download music they are going to do it whether my site is there or not."

He's saying that the users were breaking the law, but not him. So much for "community".

#3 joey says:

He is totally right, he made a website that allows to search music (like Google) and if you want to download you can. He doesn`t force you to download and if you download you get the files from other users not from him. Basically he made a free searching website that can use everybody who has an invite.

The law sucks, I don`t know what they assume, nobody will buy as many albums as they download it, a lot of musician say that it is good to download music because a lot more people will know new bands, go their concerts etc.. and maybe they don`t buy their records because it`s so freaking expensive \ and the music companies (labels) get the most of the album`s prize, so this sucks too.

There is no solotion... but this website was totally legal and amyba the members were breaking the law but not the founder.

The police are stupid... we didn`t have to pay anything and didn`t have to upload pre-release stuff, they should check what they investigating....

#4 disinformator says:

Humans were making music before they started making business.
Somewhere along the line music became part of an industry ...well it's time for that concept to go, music is more than making money. Time will tell.

#5 Carrie says:

Thats not what he is saying at all. He is saying that nobody is forcing people to join the site and download music. Freedom of choice, why should he be responsible for other peoples actions and rightly so! I think he is right and think about it, who was complaining when they were getting their free music!
He made 180,000 people very happy! Which one of you can say the same!!!! I think its a major achievement.. respect to him, I am behind him all the way!

#6 tical says:

Eh,unfortunately his arguments are weak. He started and operated a site where the sole purpose was piracy, and not just of music, but computer software, comics, books, and other stuff as well.

It's nothing like Google. Google *can* be used to find illegal stuff, but it's primary purpose is not to promote illegal activities. Oink however was dedicated to nothing but illegal activities. And the fact that they were such nazis about the stuff that was uploaded further proves that. They exercized a lot of control over the site, and now that's gonna come back to bite them.

I feel for the guy, but I have a feeling that Britain is going to make an example out of him, if only because of pressure from the industry.

#7 No files on his machines says:

No data; No Charges :)

They can try to dig the logs on his machines. But he's already stated that all the logs have no evidence of any user info that can be used. They'll try to probably charge him for the MP3's in his own collection. But then how would they prove he pirated those?

They will try really hard though. And will come up with squat. He knows at some point this day would come. He's smarter than you guys think.

#8 Cedric says:

I believe that the parable of the multiplication of breads in the bible doesn't exist for nothing. We have come to a time when we are able to multiplicate culture and the machine we have invented is so fantastic that we are struggling about it, we want to move back to before the machine. I don't believe that duplication is exactly the same as stealing. It's a complex issue, but i think the best thing for us would be to adapt to the new technology, which is very socialist when you think of it, very ironic in the context of the present capitalist states. What if we had opted for communism back in the 50's?? (Stalin, stay where you are). People are right, no one can buy all the music, there is just way too much. People should simply access it and the music should be sponsored or something. As far as Oink, from what I understand it was a very elitist project that people could only access if they were invited to it, and that to me speaks about bad energy, and when you're dealing with bad energy you bring to yourself arrestation. Call me weird but I see life that way. Don't be a prick, ever.

#9 burni says:

kneejerk ur an idiot.. hes right .. oink hosted no files.. just links to torrents that was stored on users pcs .. not his servers.. its true the site just acted as a search engine.. i agree with everything he said,.


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