ThePirateBay.org Raided and Shut Down

An anonymous reader writes "ThePirateBay.org, a longtime fixture of the BitTorrent community, is currently under investigation. Slyck.com is reporting their servers have been seized by the Swedish police." What's really interesting about them is the strange political power that they held in their homeland. There was much discussion even of a political party. This will be interesting to watch unfold.

Comments

Re:Strange political power

[eno2001]

I'd give them a shot in the U.S. considering just how corrupt the current administration is. President Cheney and his wacky sidekick Dubya are treasonous bastards who deserve to be rotting in a "pound me in the ass" prison. Anyone care to send off my sentiments directly to the Whitehouse? Go right ahead. This American is standing up for REAL Americans who believe that Bush and company are all criminals. Directed at the people who voted for Bush: Remember there are 49% of us and 51% of you. While that might be a "landslide" in your minds, it just points out that there's really only 2% of that voting body who need to get fed up with the direction the conservatives are dragging this country. And as the KLF say, "It's Grim Up North". (A Northerner who doesn't hold a grudge against all Southerners, only the ones who voted for Bush)

Re:come on, let's face it

[Anonymous Coward]

Judging by your total lack of any geographical and cultural knowledge and also your outrage that different countries might have differnet laws, I would say that you are an American. The argument of "Not in my country" does not only hold water, but is one of the basis on which each country establishes its suverenity. This arguement is the sole reason why the Chinese/North Korean/whateverwhich police force cannot come knocking on your door in America (i guessed, didn't I?) and hold you responsible for, for instance, spekaing your mind about the communist regime. And if they did, the first thing out of your mouth would be "Not in this country". I can see why suverenity of other countries might pose problems for citizens of a country that has not only breached other countries' laws but also invaded and took over some. So we can say that at the very least the lack of comprehension of suverenity can be atributed to your misguided patrionism. But the stupidity of mistakeing Swededn for Swtzerland is only your own. (For future - Glockenspiel, chocholtae, SWISS army knives -> Switzerland.)

Re:come on, let's face it

[Guysmiley777]

But... but... but... you HAVE to do what we say! You HAVE to! Waaaahhhh!!!!

FUD

[Makarakalax]

What's wrong with porn? Talk about spreading FUD, use decent arguments next time please.

THEFT =/= COPYRIGHT VIOLATION

[hummassa]

Theft: TAKING something you're not authorized to take.
Copyright infringement: COPYING or DISTRIBUTING something you're not authorized to (EVEN IF YOU CREATED IT!!! [*]).
Theft is a a violation of someone's personal property rights (even if that someone is a firm or a government branch).
Copyright infringement is a violation of someone's copyrights (or Author's rights, depending on your venue).
copyrights =/= property rights: property rights are absolute, definitive, alienable rights based on "lawful possession" of a physical good. copyrights are relative, temporary rights to explore the monopoly of an intelectually-novel expression of an idea you had (and its mise-en-scene).
The violation of copyrights is NOT as severe as the violation of property rights EXACTLY because of the comparison between the nature of the rights: right to property is stronger than copyright, both are weaker than the right to physical safety, all of them weaker than the right of a living, breathing, out-of-the-womb human being to live (**)

(*) derivative works
(**) no, I am not and will not state that I am pro-choice or pro-life: I am stating that -- in a lot of jurisdictions -- the most valued right is the right to live for an already-born person (as in opposition to an in-the-womb person that may or not have the right to live depending on the jurisdiction).

Under your argument, ...

[hummassa]

if I sell other (but better) music at cheaper prices, I am also stealing his market, which is equivalent to theft. Wrong, sorry. Stealing someone's market is not a criminal act, per se.