Originally Posted by jayeff

I really don't think you do.

For whatever reason and however you did it, you rationalized the need to check and contact a commercial site before its operators would remove links to content which they have to know is copyrighted. That they do not host the content itself is in this context irrelevant: they base their entire business on easing access to content which you and others paid for, and compete with you not only for sales but also for affiliates.

Just because the law may not have caught up with technology and just because it likely isn't worthwhile chasing individuals who pass your content around, should not make for complacency towards those who build their businesses this way. And it doesn't matter whether someone is a sponsor, a content producer, or an affiliate, the nature of this business is such that most of us will always make our money promoting legitimate content. As such, we are damaged by the likes of Guba and even if we cannot stop their activities, it is short-sighted in the extreme to support them or excuse them in any way.