Downloaders on "pirate" sites have long assumed that
they are relatively safe, and that predatory copyright
owners will only go after Uploaders.
It would seem that downloaders (at least of movies)
aren't as safe as they thought they were. One wonders what
"legitimate defences" people who
download copyrighted material without paying might have.
Ignorance?
Firstly, ignorance is no excuse under the law... at least,
not in Britain.
Secondly, it is highly likely that at least some of these
downloaders have participated in public conversations on
public sites discussing the illegality of what they are
doing and ways to avoid being caught at it.
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424
effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.
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In our 537th issue:
* EFF IS DEFENDING THE RIGHTS OF THOUSANDS OF INTERNET
USERS FROM PREDATORY MOVIE-DOWNLOADING LAWSUITS by
asking judges in Washington, D.C., to deny attempts by
the U.S. Copyright Group (USCG) to lump scores of people
as defendants into copyright infringement cases. The USCG
has stacked the deck against the defendants by requiring
all of them to defend these cases in Washington, D.C.,
regardless of where they actually live.
EFF has long been concerned that some attorneys would
attempt to create a business out of mass copyright
lawsuits, shaking settlements out of innocent people who
aren't in a position to raise legitimate defenses. EFF is
asking the court to step in now and force USCG to follow
the rules that apply in all other cases.
For the full press release and link to the amicus brief:
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* Administrivia
EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
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San Francisco CA 94110-1914 USA
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+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
Editor:
Richard Esguerra, EFF Activist
Membership & donation queries:
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Reproduction of this publication in electronic media
is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily
represent the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles
individually, please contact the authors for their
express permission.
Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be
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1 comment:
PS. I took a look at the Ars Technica link, and am appalled that people are being sued for single, alleged violations based on Verizon phone records during a time when apparently there were existing complaints of service disruptions.
In other words, maybe the downloads never happened, or maybe the downloads were done by opportunistic WiFi thieves.
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