BMI SHUTTERS ANTI-MTV -- FREE SPEECH UNDER ASSAULT
by Erik Barath [August 7, 2002]
 [HollywoodInvestigator.com] Last weekend,
AntiMTV.com was shut down and inaccessible for about 60 hours.
My odyssey
into a first degree migraine began Saturday, at 6 a.m. The site was
down.
I called my server, XO Communications, to see what was wrong. I was put on hold by the tech guy, and after 5 minutes, he informed me
the site was shut down due to "violations". I asked for specifics,
but the administrator didn't know. He informed me there was nothing
he could do, and that I was to call the "abuse" department at 9 a.m. on
Monday.
Outrageous. I'd received no email, phone call, or snail mail to inform me of any "alleged"
wrong-doing. Anti-MTV was shut down without notice or reason.
After
calling "abuse" on Monday morning, August 5th, and giving them an earful
of my own abuse (as my first and seventh amendment rights had been trampled),
the "abuse" person told me they'd tried to call (a lie) and sent a letter
(another lie). I was then put in touch with Allison, XO's lawyer
handling the case.
Seems
this was about a complaint from BMI. (I'd received shakedown emails
from a John Colletta telling me to
pay "fees" for the videos I play -- or else. Videos that no one will
see except on the net. Videos I make no profit from.)
This is
where it gets interesting.
Allison
said she found my address and phone number not by asking the people at
XO, for whom she works, but via a "WHOIS" search at Network
Solutions -- from which I bought and registered the domain name over
3 years ago. Instead of making a quick call to the people at XO for
the correct information, Allison figured her duties were complete and didn't
care that I was uniformed about the harsh action XO was contemplating.
But wait,
it gets better.
The contested
video files weren't even on the XO server: Five Minutes Alone (Pantera), Pull
the Plug (Death), and Hanger 18 (Megadeath), just to name a
few. I took them down over a month ago. One of them is on another
company's server, so it's out of XO's hands.
XO not
only
didn't do any homework in finding my contact information, but they didn't
even check the legitimacy of the complaint.
Anti-MTV was wrongfully shut down.
So where
do we go from here? Well my friends, after a year and a half of funding
Anti-MTV from my pocket money, and being harassed by legal pond scum who
have their own best interests in mind and not the bands' -- I've decided
to call it quits. I've had it.
I've said
for the longest time that lawyers are killing this country, and now lawyers
have finally killed Anti-MTV.
I would
like to thank the over 5 million people who supported us over the last
three years. I love you all. I will keep Anti-MTV up for another
month or so, at which time my newest site, Newsfilter.org, will be fully
functioning. It will be a news site with social and political commentary
and political humor.
Anyone
wishing to purchase Anti-MTV, please email.me.
I'll keep
you
guys posted ... take care.
Copyright © 2002 by Erik Barath
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