Tell HN: Stripe killed my music locker service, so I'm open sourcing it

Article summary

The owner of a music locker service, inter.tube, had their Stripe account terminated due to alleged violations of Stripe's Restricted Business policy, despite the service not selling or distributing music without authorization. The service allowed users to upload and store their own music collections, with metadata tags used to organize the files. The owner claims this is lawful according to the Capitol Records, Inc. v. MP3Tunes, LLC court case. The service is now being open-sourced.

Main themes

• Stripe account termination
• payment processing regulations
• music locker services
• copyright infringement
• cloud storage
• cryptocurrency payments
• regulatory environment

What commenters say

• Stripe's account termination policies are too aggressive and can harm small businesses without proper explanation or appeal process.
• Alternative payment providers, such as Paymentech, may offer more flexibility and fewer restrictions for certain types of businesses.
• The regulatory environment incentivizes payment processors to err on the side of caution and terminate accounts to avoid potential liability.
• The use of cryptocurrency payments could potentially reduce fraud, but may also limit the customer pool and introduce other risks.
• Established brands, such as Google and Cloudflare, may be treated differently by payment processors due to their size and reputation.
• The legality of uploading personal music collections to cloud storage services is unclear and may vary by jurisdiction.
• Some commenters argue that Stripe's actions are a form of censorship, while others see it as a necessary measure to prevent copyright infringement and other illicit activities.
• The DMCA safe harbor provision may protect music locker services from liability for user-uploaded content, but only if they adequately respond to takedown requests.