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Copyright Infringement and Shoplifting Contrasted

Posted by Zonk on from the steal-this-post dept.

awesomeO4001 wrote in to mention a post to Karl Wagenfuehr's blog where he compares and contrasts the penalties for copyright infringement vs. shoplifting. From the post: "...from what I can tell, the penalties laid out for downloading one season of a TV show with BitTorrent are much harsher than if you actually stole a DVD set of the same show from a government store...For stealing the DVD you could face no more than up to 1 year imprisonment and up to a $100,000 fine; for downloading the same material you could face statutory damages of up to $3,300,000, costs and attorney's fees"

4 of 562 comments (clear)

  1. what would be the charge by testednegative · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... if you downloaded a movie which you own because you stole the dvd from a store :S

  2. but by Quasar1999 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can I shoplift from a store in my underwear? I think the extra 3.2 million is a convenience fee for being able to commit crime in my parent's basement...

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    Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
    1. Re:but by jd · · Score: 4, Funny

      What's a store doing in your underwear?

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      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  3. Re:Deterrence factor by The+Rizz · · Score: 3, Funny

    By that logic, let's compare littering to a bank robbery.

    Littering = Very easy to avoid being found out. It's not like people really notice someone drop something on the ground.
    Bank robbery = Security cameras, guards, silent alarms, FBI involvement.

    So, by your logic, since it's much, much easier to get caught robbing a bank than littering, you should get a much much stiffer penalty when caught throwing a gum wrapper on the ground.

    Shall we say a $500 billion fine, and 4000 years in jail? That should keep your d = pc formula balanced...