BayTSP

BayTSP is a copyright enforcement company [ [http://www.baytsp.com/aboutus/index.html BayTSP.com company info page] BayTSP.com] based in Los Gatos, California. BayTSP was formed by CEO Mark M. Ishikawa [ [http://www.baytsp.com/aboutus/executive_team.html BayTSP Executive Team"] Baytsp.com] that offers defensive services [ [http://www.baytsp.com/faq.html BayTSP FAQ ] BayTSP.com] to owners of intellectual property concerned about potential unauthorized distribution through the Internet. The company also has a branch in Des Moines, Iowa. [ [http://www.baytsp.com/aboutus/careers.html BayTSP Employment page] BayTSP.com]

Although Ishikawa describes the DMCA as a "flawed piece of legislation" [ [http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2002/pulpit_20020919_000746.html R. Cringley "How BayTSP is Enforcing the Digital Millennium"] 2002-09-12 Pbs.org] , one of BayTSP's primary services involves searching the Internet for copyright infringement and issuing DMCA takedown notices to the Internet service provider that acts as host to the disputed content.

BayTSP's role as internet detectives

Although much of BayTSP's exact methodology is currently unknown, it can be ascertained from press releases [ [http://www.baytsp.com//pressroom/index.html BayTSP Press Room ] BayTSP.com] and news sources [ [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070828-baytsp-ceo-flies-to-singapore-to-support-anime-crackdown.html Arts Technica - "BayTSP CEO flies to Singapore to support anime crackdown"] 2007-08-28 arstechnica.com] that the company makes extensive use of automated webcrawler technology and databases of digital fingerprints.BayTSP's digital fingerprinting technology has been used in efforts to curb both Internet piracy and child pornography [ [http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-502784.html ZDnet "New weapon in child-porn wars"] 2000-08-21 ZDnet.com] .

Mr. Ishikawa's often sensationalist claims, such as "We can find a file posted five years ago and find every place it's posted now," [ [http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-502784.html "New weapon in child-porn wars"] 2000-08-21 ZDnet.com] and "We have 100 percent coverage of peer-to-peer file sharing, If you are illegally sharing copyrighted materials, we know who you are." [ [http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2002/pulpit_20020919_000746.html R. Cringley "How BayTSP is Enforcing the Digital Millennium" ] 2002-09-12 Pbs.org] combined with his self-admitted "hacker" background [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/3104281.stm BBC News "Cyber sleuths hunt file-swappers" ] 2003-06-29 BBC.co.uk ] have caused some speculation as to the ethical tenets of BayTSP.

BayTSP does issue several thousand DMCA takedown notices per year [ [http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=5184124 ABC local - "Hollywood Cracking Down On Movie Piracy"] ABC] to Internet users and providers suspected of hosting or distributing copyrighted material. Questions about the covert methods employed by BayTSP in the identification of copyrighted works and DMCA takedown process have generated hostility toward the company from the Internet file sharing community. [ [http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=516 Law Professor Edward W. Felten - "Is BayTSP a Cyber-Trespasser?"] 2004-02-11 freedom-to-tinker.com] [ [http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070322/200545.shtml Techdirt - "Viacom Denies Sending Takedown Letter On Colbert Parody"] 2007-03-23 Techdirt.com]

A few examples of BayTSP DMCA takedown notices to alleged copyright infringers can be found at the Stanford and Harvard Law project to document the DMCA's impact on the Internet. [ [http://www.chillingeffects.org/dmca512/notice.cgi?NoticeID=1706 Infringement Notice ] BayTSP - Takedown notice on behalf of Mathsoft ] [ [http://www.chillingeffects.org/dmca512/notice.cgi?NoticeID=1447 Infringement Notice ] BayTSP - Takedown notice on behalf of Paramount Pictures ] [ [http://www.chillingeffects.org/piracy/notice.cgi?NoticeID=776 Infringement Notice ] BayTSP - Takedown notice for Paramount Pictures] [ [http://www.chillingeffects.org/piracy/notice.cgi?NoticeID=1103 Infringement Notice ] BayTSP - Takedown notice on behalf of MGM ] [ [http://www.chillingeffects.org/dmca512/notice.cgi?NoticeID=1158 Infringement Notice ] BayTSP - Takedown notice on behalf of Paramount Pictures]

See also

* Business Software Alliance
* Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft
* Odex's actions against file sharing
* MediaDefender
* MediaSentry

External links

* [http://www.baytsp.com/ BayTSP Main Page]
* [http://www.chillingeffects.org/search.cgi ChillingEffects] DMCA database maintained at Harvard and Stanford Law Schools.

References