Font piracy at ge.tt

Ramiro Espinoza

I see an increasing font piracy activity at ge.tt. The website does not answer file removal requests probably due to the fact that it is registered in Trinidad and Tobago. But Ge.tt make use of an application available at iTunes Store. I guess if something can be done considering Apple is distributing an app used to exchange copyrighted files. Any idea? Who should I contact?

Jan Schmoeger

% Abuse contact for '79.125.64.0 - 79.125.127.255' is 'ec2-abuse@Amazon.com'

inetnum: 79.125.64.0 - 79.125.127.255
netname: AMAZON-EU-AWS
descr: Amazon Web Services, Elastic Compute Cloud, EC2, EU
remarks: The activity you have detected originates from a
dynamic hosting environment.
For fastest response, please submit abuse reports at
http://aws-portal.amazon.com/gp/aws/html-forms-controller/contactus/AWSAbuse
For more information regarding EC2 see:
http://ec2.amazonaws.com/
All reports MUST include:
* src IP
* dest IP (your IP)
* dest port
* Accurate date/timestamp and timezone of activity
* Intensity/frequency (short log extracts)
* Your contact details (phone and email)
Without these we will be unable to identify
the correct owner of the IP address at that
point in time.
country: IE
admin-c: ADSI2-RIPE
tech-c: AEA61-RIPE
status: ASSIGNED PA
mnt-by: MNT-ADSI
source: RIPE # Filtered

role: Amazon Data Services Ireland Technical Role Account
address: Amazon Data Services Ireland
address: Digital Depot
address: Thomas Street
address: Dublin 8
address: Ireland
mnt-by: MNT-ADSI
admin-c: MA11338-RIPE
tech-c: AJ176-RIPE
nic-hdl: ADSI2-RIPE
source: RIPE # Filtered

role: Amazon EC2 Abuse
address: 1200 12th Avenue South
Seattle
WA
US
mnt-by: MNT-ADSI
admin-c: TW510-RIPE
tech-c: ADSI2-RIPE
nic-hdl: AEA61-RIPE
source: RIPE # Filtered

% Information related to '79.125.0.0/17AS39111'

route: 79.125.0.0/17
descr: Amazon EU AWS Dublin
origin: AS39111
mnt-by: MNT-ADSI
source: RIPE # Filtered

James Puckett

I guess if something can be done considering Apple is distributing an app used to exchange copyrighted files.

Every web browser and FTP client on the App Store can also be used to exchange pirate files. I doubt you'll have any luck getting the app removed. And if the app does get pulled you'll generate a shitstorm of negative publicity from Internet freedom advocates. web sites associated with you will be probably get hacked by Anonymous. This is not a good battle to pick.

Ramiro Espinoza

OK, it's good to have the advice of more experienced colleagues. Thanks.

Ralf

The website does not answer file removal requests probably due to the fact that it is registered in Trinidad and Tobago.

That’s just where the domain is registered. The company is European, so legal complaints should be possible.
Here is what they recommend themselves:

Claims for copyright infringement
If you are a copyright owner or agent thereof and believe that content posted on the Ge.tt internet servers infringes upon your copyright, please submit notice, pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512(c)) to our copyright agent with the following information:
(a) an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright;
(b) a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
(c) the URL of the location on our website containing the material that you claim is infringing;
(d) your address, telephone number, and email address;
(e) a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
(f) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.
Our copyright agent can be reached on email or by post, attn: Tobias Baunbæk or by postal mail to Gett ApS, Attn Tobias Baunbæk, Gothersgade 8B, 1123 Copenhagen K, Denmark.

Ramiro Espinoza

Thanks Ralf. I haven't foud this info in their website. I will try again submitting the extra data but I feel rather pessimistic. They never answer my emails and all this looks like a way to pretend they care about copyrights.

Ramiro Espinoza

...and the email link they provided in this "Terms" page is dead.

Jan Schmoeger

That's, Ramiro, where the server information comes in. Hosts do not like their customers infringing others' rights and can shut the offenders down (at least they used to).

James Puckett

A host that cares about infringement wouldn't have Ge.TT as a client.

Ramiro Espinoza

People from Grilli Type Foundry kindly provided me with the co-founder's email and told me they succeeded in having links removed, so I am insisting.

Ramiro Espinoza

BTW, can I write here the address of the forum that is posting and directing visitors to many illegal copies from other foundries? Or if you wanna know in private, just drop me to mail: ramiro at re-type.com

George Thomas

Please don't post it publicly. There is no good to be had in giving them more traffic.

James Puckett

Please don’t post about specific pirate forums in the public areas of Typedrawers.

Ramiro Espinoza

Yes, don't worry.

Marcos Ojeda

two things:

ralf's point about dmca takedowns is good, it's basically the only recourse you have these days and at worst, you get ignored if the 'company.' Many tend to respect them, oddly enough.

The whois on ge.tt may appear comforting on the abuse front, but the abuse address is ultimately designed to report and catch machines which have 'gone rogue' and are ddosing somebody. At that point, amazon steps in.

Real quick, i am 100% not a lawyer. Anyhow, amazon or any vps host really have no incentive to take any action. Why? Due to section 230 of the communications decency act, ocilla and the likelihood that ge.tt probably qualifies for the dmca's safe harbor provision all of which mostly provide some form of immunity to ISPs, hosts and sites like ge.tt as long as they pass the blame on to their users while complying with some fairly basic rules.

As far as i know, ge.tt is not obliged to make their dmca copyright agent email accessible, only 'accessible' which probably stops most people from taking action. In any case, send a letter, in the worst of cases, it's still ignored, but if you wish to pursue it further, you can probably use their actual dmca non-compliance to legitimately hassle amazon/ec2 since typically that is when amazon has an incentive to actually step in. most of this i learned in grad school from talking to risd's general counsel who worked on compuserve v. cubby and was always willing to educate folks on the murkier areas of copyright infringement and how it affected their practice.

Sending takedown notices can't hurt in any case but the real takeaway is to always keep a lawyer on retainer if you have the means to.

Jackson Showalter-Cavanaugh

I've had success with Amazon takedowns before. It just takes a proper DMCA request and a few days.