MobiTv and HowardForums *Situation is now resolved*

[howard]

{Note from Mod HF 25: For the links to the media coverage over this matter, check out post #540
http://www.howardforums.com/showpost...&postcount=540 }

UPDATE: The problem has been solved:
http://www.howardforums.com/showpost...&postcount=561
Thank you all for your support!

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Hey everyone. Just so you know HowardForums may be experience difficulties in the next few days.

Basically this is what happening. It turns out Mobitv stores links to their feeds in a plain text file that anyone with internet access can view. Apparently viewing this text file is considered 'hacking'. Remember, next time you google and find something someone doesn't want you to see mobitv consider that hacking. These feeds do not appear to be protected in an anyway and it appears anyone with a compatible phone can view them.

I'm sure Mobitv's content providers would be very interested to know that mobitv is broadcasting their intellectual property while taking such measures to protect it.

It's like they're a movie theater with see through walls. If you walk by you can see what's going on but they don't want you to.

Anyways Mobitv is asking us to remove the link to this text file. If we do not they are threatening to contact ICANN and HowardForum's host to get the site pulled down.

================================================== =========


Below is the conversation I'm currently having with them:

Dear Mr. Chui and Inforium Interactive Inc.,

I am Corporate Counsel at MobiTV, Inc. Attached is the cease and desist letter we sent to your attention yesterday regarding the post located at http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1332161 which allows and facilitates unauthorized access to MobiTV’s proprietary service. As further discussed in the attached letter, MobiTV demands the immediate and permanent removal of this post on www.howardforums.com.

Please send this to Howard Forum’s legal department immediately and also confirm your receipt of this email.

Regards,

Josh Andrews
Corporate Counsel
6425 Christie Avenue, 5th Floor, Emeryville, CA 94608
phone 510.450.527x mobile 415.971.188x
fax 510.868.641x email jandrews@mobitv.com
web www.mobitv.

Here's my response:

Can you be more specific? All I see are people linking to your webpage mobitv.com. I was expecting to find people posting zip files containing software with cracks.

Howard Chui

The post on this page - http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1332161 – is all about getting MobiTV (or Sprint TV) for free, at least on your desktop if not on your phone. This thread needs to be removed.

I don't understand the question. If you go to this link -
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1332161 - it's pretty clear. It gives step by step instructions of how to obtain MobiTV (Sprint TV). I am cutting and pasting the language below:
_____________________

"Well, I found this in the Sprint forums and here we go:

qtv.mobitv.com/sprintTVlive.mcd

1. Copy and paste that link into the address bar.

2. Don't run it but save it to your computer.

3. Find it on your computer and OPEN it up. Select to open it with Internet Explorer or the browser of your choice.

4. There will be a whole bunch of links. Choose the channel you want to watch...

5. Get your LG Voyager and start up the browser.

6. Type one of the links into your Voyager and press OK!

There you go, live TV...

Ask more questions if you need help."

That's just a link to your company's website

"here we go:

qtv.mobitv.com/sprintTVlive.mcd"

I have no control over what information is posted at mobitv.com

You have control over the step-by-step instructions that are below that link. That's the information I am referring to. This is not a link, but in fact some sort of file users can download and then use to access our service. Please remove the instructions.

Howard -

All of the links on your page are links to our live feed and they facilitate the unauthorized use of the MobiTV service. All of them need to be removed. We will take further action if this is not done. Thank you for your quick response.

So let me get this right; The Mobitv security is setup such that anyone that knows the url to the feed that's located on your firm's website can access it?

Or in other words; "You can go to mobitv.com to watch TV".

How can use be unauthorized if that's all people have to do?

Howard, there is now another link on your site that needs to be removed.
Please go to: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1333804

As I mentioned before, these are not publicly available links. Nowhere on Mobitv.com are any of these available. It takes a hacker and debugging by your users to get this information. Please confirm your removal of this and the thread/link we discussed yesterday. We are attempting to resolve this matter amicably. Thanks.

Josh

How is it not publicly available? ANYONE with a computer can view the file that has all the url's on it.

It's not like someone stole this information from your business and posted it. It's available on your site for anyone to read. How is that protecting your intellectual property? Is there really no security in place to prevent this?

The url "qtv.mobitv.com/sprintTVlive.mcd" is not publicly available, nor is it posted anywhere on our website for viewers to access. The only way to access the links is through this url, and the only way to obtain this url is through hacking/debugging.

"Anyone with a computer can view the file" - Actually, only people who have access to this url that was obtained in violation of our IP rights (hacking is a violation) can view it.

We are going to contact ICANN as well as your host to resolve this matter if you refuse to remove these threads. Please confirm by the end of business today (Pacific time) that you have complied.

[sabillondesigns]

in on 1


...........

[MikeHunt2099]

So their blaming others for their own incompetence?

[mick4394]

Why don't these morons just rename the urls until they find a better way to encrypt the pages?

[Torell]

this is probably the stupidest thing i've read all day

[Matt_Helm]

mmm can't say i'll ever use them... SLINGBOX FOR THE WIN!

[Raegoul]

It's amazing that their idea of security is not to have a link to the site on their main sites html. And then they have the gull to say people are hacking it.

For the people who actually pay for this service, i'd be concerned about your financial records and how they're stored.

[cmc0]

Who cares about some stupid MobiTv anyway. With Orb and a $20 Tv tuner card, I can get all the streaming TV I want to for free 24/7 and with any cable channel

[burgertime]

Well the better question was how was this information obtained? Another question is, isn't it legal to have a step by step for this so long as there is a warning like, "THIS IS NOT LEGAL PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW STEPS". Case closed. Showing how to do something illegal is not the same as doing something illegal.

I am almost certain Intellectual Property laws do not apply to something like this. Think Anarchist Cookbook.

[Jay]

If they hadn't made it publicly viewable in the first place, then they wouldn't be having this problem. Stand your ground, they have no right to force you to remove public knowledge. Hacking... bwahahahahaa! What a crock.

[simple3]

there is case law on this and they will loose. it doesn't mean they won't cause us all a lot of headache. has this been slashdotted yet?

[burgertime]

Well the only legal aspect I think they have is that you are promoting the use of doing this. Again as long as you setup a warning that it is not legal to do then you are free and clear. If as MobiTV claims just simply having this on your site were illegal you would be shutdown by the likes of Sprint, Alltel, T-Mobile, Verizon and every other phone service/company for showing how to unlock phones. Seems to me to just be a empty threat. I would like to see the legal wording on the cease and desist.

Just to let you guys know I work for an online porn company that streams content and I hear all about problems arising just like this at the company I work for, the only people someone like MobiTV can sue is if they go after the individuals actually doing the illegal activity. Not the ones showing you how to do it.

[Evan]

Well the better question was how was this information obtained? Another question is, isn't it legal to have a step by step for this so long as there is a warning like, "THIS IS NOT LEGAL PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW STEPS". Case closed. Showing how to do something illegal is not the same as doing something illegal.

I am almost certain Intellectual Property laws do not apply to something like this. Think Anarchist Cookbook.

Well, you're right. But that's how The Pirate Bay was threatened. TPB is charged for condoning/providing links to illegal files. Or something along that line.


The guys they should be after are the guys who have committed the act of the actual illegal activity.

[0siris]

Under recent Telecom legislation, you are not responisble for the content posted to your forums. I would investigate with your lawyer the possiblity of filing for a restraining order against MobiTV.

[ROLLTIDE]

They can't do anything to you Howard ! Stand your ground and they will go away