Slashdot Mirror
MediaDefender Buys MediaSentry For $136,000 (Not $20M)
newtley writes "SafeNet paid $20 million for MediaSentry in 2005, but has just sold it to rival MediaDefender for a paltry $136,000, with a promise of more later. MediaSentry's new owner says the combination will allow it to 'dramatically expand its effectiveness.' Is it time for an official government inquiry into MediaSentry and the RIAA? A Chicago student said she was planning on killing herself because the RIAA promised her she'd land in court unless she paid almost $10,000 to 'settle' an alleged copyright infringement. She 'couldn't sleep, couldn't study, couldn't live a normal life because of the worry.' The RIAA 'evidence' came from MediaSentry, accused of operating illegally."
Are just a bunch of href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/5105
... timothy failed the Turing Test because the script couldn't figure out there was a problem with the other story before posting this one.
'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
Fleeing the country at that age and with those limited resources is worse than suicide. The countries where it's reasonably safe to flee to, even with money, are extradition countries, so she'll be right back in the US in time for summer. And a lot of those non-extradition countries are inhospitable to a poor teenager, so she'll just die or end up a meth-addicted prostitute.
This glowing orb of positivity brought to you by perspective.
Sam ty sig.
you cant escape the maffia that easily
Why kill yourself when you can flee the country? It's not like she's in jail or something. Talk about keeping things in perspective...
And more to the point why just kill yourself when you could wait until the court case and take out a couple or RIAA lawyers too. Note: This is not legal advice!
Will this allow the RIAA to say "MediaSentry? No we don't use them any more. We use the much more trutsed MediaDefender these days."?
Emerald Astrology
You flee the country when the Government is out to get you, you seek the government's help when somebody is trying to BLACKMAIL you. (and with shoddy evidence at best)
Oh give me a break. They'd get a civil judgment. You don't even have to flee the country to escape those. It's called Chapter 7 and it's the first thing I would do if I was a student facing a $10,000 judgment from RIAA. If she's like most students she probably doesn't have many assets and they are likely all be exempt. In other words she'd lose nothing but the bankruptcy filing fee and the time it took to appear at the hearing.
If that's all it takes to make her suicidal then she really needs to seek some outside help. In the grand game known as life she's going to face many challenges that are far more scary than a RIAA action. Better learn how to cope with them now.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Because this is going to happen everywhere.
1. Corporations are soulless entities devoted only to profit, that's not because I'm an unamerican commie or whatever but it's the way the world works.
2. Politicians are puppets controlled by corporations. Obama included, sadly.
3. Politicians make laws to please whoever will keep them firmly bound to their chair (common people? Yeah, sure).
Now, please connect the points before flaming.
If you're lucky enough to find a place in the world where the local leader doesn't get in bed with the rich, please drop a note here. I won't hold my breath though, as you won't find one.
The countries where it's reasonably safe to flee to, even with money, are extradition countries, so she'll be right back in the US in time for summer
I think you've mistaken a civil action with a criminal one. There's no extradition process that I'm aware of for debt collection. A judgment is just a piece of paper. It would be up to RIAA to find a way to collect on it. Given that she's a student and probably has no assets, good luck with that....
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
But....this is a civil suit right? Does it really matter if you flee?
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
Does extradition have anything to do with civil suits?
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
... than is within reason if you're waiting for a government investigation of the record companies and/or their cronies. The party of Hollywood is in charge of the government, and the RIAA/MPAA are all paid up in their contributions.
Hmmmm. Wouldn't she have to file for bankruptcy AFTER the judgement? Or at least after some lawyer fees? I'm not sure how the court would see her filing for bankruptcy prior. Might be seen as a sign of guilt?
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
Could be a million reasons. Maybe she is suffering from panic anxiety for instance (maybe the extra stress actually triggered latent illness). When you can barely get out of bed killing yourself can probably look like a good deal compared to moving to a foreign country.
Connection closed by foreign host.
Iceland?
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
Wouldn't she have to file for bankruptcy AFTER the judgement?
Yeah, so?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
She'd also lose all her liquid assets(if any) and she'd have a bad credit rating for the next 10 years. And 10k is the settlement, not the judgement.
So in this case it's obvious. Flee the country.
I thought you meant before any court proceedings.
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123879833094588163.html
Seriously, who didn't think that the plan all along was for the gov't to seize control of the financial sector and dictate wages? The writing's on the wall, folks. Liberty is almost dead.
I always end up confusing them, so I'll ascribe something to MediaSentry only to be corrected that no, the company involved was MediaDefender, or vice versa. Every time I wanted to complain to my alma mater about Randy Saaf being on their board of trustees (fortunately no longer the case), I had to go look up which of the two he was associated with.
So, I would like to thank the companies for kindly removing this frequent source of error.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
She'd also lose all her liquid assets(if any)
Umm, no, she'd lose her non-exempt assets. I'm not familiar with the specifics in her state but in my state you can exempt up to $2,500 of cash, "tools of the trade", family heirlooms, an automobile worth less than $5,000, etc, etc, etc. The overwhelming majority of Chapter 7s are "no-asset" cases, meaning all of the assets of the debtor are exempt. How many students do you know that have large enough net worths to have to worry about having non-exempt assets?
and she'd have a bad credit rating for the next 10 years
There are worse things in life than a bad credit rating and you'd be surprised how quickly your credit rebounds after a bankruptcy. My bankruptcy was three years ago and my FICO score was 757 the last time I checked. I haven't run into any problems obtaining credit, even after the economy took a nosedive.
And 10k is the settlement, not the judgement.
So what? Let them get a judgment for more than that if they think they can. It will make the bankruptcy even easier to file.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Exactly. The RIAA would have to track her down in the country she moved to and then get a court there to rule that she had to pay up. Good luck with that, though, because foreign courts are rather reluctant to involve themselves of civil matters that happened outside of their jurisdiction. In fact, they pretty much flat out refuse to.
For that matter, she could flee to Canada or Mexico.
My blog
Shows how silly it is to sue someone with no assets, it seems in the specific case her parents agreed to pay the settlement though.
If you had RTFA you would have gotten the fun news that her parents paid the settlement so her threat was never really serious.
When will people just give up and find new ways to entertain themselves? By this time, who hasn't heard of what the RIAA is doing?
Apparently, a lot of people I suppose. With every attempt to expose what the RIAA is doing, the RIAA attempts to keep it quiet. Perhaps Southpark needs to revisit the issue.
I suspect she's young, struggling in any case, and inexperienced in legal matters. The RIAA tactics are fearsome, and they're deliberately calculated to induce the state of mind she's in now. They've evoked the kinds of feelings of helplessness or hopelessness that can lead to suicidal thoughts in vulnerable people. It's to be hoped that she's able to secure some kind of counseling (or legal counsel) to put the situation into perspective. If you look back, you don't see the RIAA attacking well-established, well-heeled middle aged people. They go after the young, the inexperienced, the poor, the elderly, and the sick--just the sorts of people who are vulnerable. They'd probably be delighted by a suicide. It would scare a few more victims.
"Here's what's happening. You're starting to drive like your Dad..." - Red Green
That was their own damn stupidity. Why would you agree to pay a debt that can't be collected upon and which you have no legal obligation to pay?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
and this got modded informative?
They have tight security at most court houses to prevent things like this. Find the identities of the RIAA lawyers before the court date, stalk them to their homes, and then 'deal' with them (and their pets). The insanity and paranoia caused by the case could be a defense.
The parents probably had the money but didn't have the legal knowledge and I suppose they didn't want their daughter to have to go through the court since she was so stressed out.
One would think before you'd write a check for $10,000 you'd get some legal knowledge. A consultation with a lawyer would have been well advised. I'd repeat my earlier bit about her needing to seek some professional help too. If a civil lawsuit is all it takes to make her suicidal then she has serious issues and needs to seek treatment.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
For that matter, she could flee to Canada or Mexico.
Or Florida. It worked for OJ and he actually had assets.....
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
The girl needs to get a grip. Just wait till she gets older, screws up, buys a house bigger than she can afford, runs up 30k in credit cards that gets ramped up to 100k because the overlimit charges are just enough to wipe payments out, bringing on more overlimit charges... sooner or later, you learn to just pay what you can, unplug the phone, and move on with life.
This is my sig.
Instead she'll get fucked by everyone else
http://www.asti-usa.com
Facilities, Equipment, Data: $20,000,000
Goodwill: -$19,000,000
"Losing" the email server: -$864,000
---
Balance: $136,000
Not that there is much of their email we haven't already seen.
True, but only in so far as they don't file a federal lawsuit. Whether they can get a federal court to hear the case depends on jurisdictional issues that you often need a lawyer to fish you through.
My blog
Considering most RIAA lawyers are in dire need of a good killing.... ;)
Wait, there's a filing fee for bankruptcy?
That's like having an all-you-can-eat buffet at fat camp.
Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
I think you are confusing two entirely different things;
1/ Killing yourself. Generally a bad thing. Messy and definitely adversely affects your lifestyle and ability to pursue happiness.
2/ Saying you're going to kill yourself. Gets you attention and sympathy without tying yourself to any future obligations or inconveniences. Tends to get old if used to excess though.
This Chicago student has a healthy understanding of the difference between the two. Although she did chicken out by saying she was planning, past tense. Real hard-core usage would make it clear that it was still very much an option.
is that what you're suggesting?
Note: This is not legal advice!
No, it's actually good advice!
(I'm KIDDING!!! DON'T DO THIS AT HOME! OR IN COURT!)
You flee the country where somebody is trying to blackmail you with the full support of the government.
Oh fuck off. Asshole. You act like you know so much about suicide.
Just because she told people she was going to doesn't mean she wasn't serious.
+1 terrorism mod?
And the countries in question would extradite someone because she downloaded some music? Seriously?
Karma cannot be described by words alone.
I am not a stock analyst, but I wonder what effect this will have on the share price of Safenet. Are they smart guys making a really clever acquisition, or are they idiots that are buying a bunch legal headaches and poor publicity. Companies often get to put a value on their goodwill. When you buy a nasty company do you loose your goodwill?
If you'd ever taken a suicide prevention class (ah, the fun things you get to do in the military), you'd know that most people who either attempt or commit suicide told someone they were going to. Very few people wake up one morning, decide the world is a bleak place and off themselves without a word. Whether or not the suicide attempt itself is a cry for help, or the result of a legitimate desire to end one's life, most people DO "cry for help" before they ever do it. We're hardwired not to want to die, and even when our conscious mind decides it wants to we usually try to find loopholes.
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
I guess if I committed a crime (even a crime that the slashdot community thinks should *not* be a crime) and was being sued for it, I'd expect to have trouble sleeping, studying and living.
Flame away, but there is one point you cannot make: That she did not steal.
Maybe it should be legal, but it isn't, she knew it, she did it anyway.
Dodging payment can become contempt of court or fraud.
First off, $10000 is not that much. For a college grad, it's only two months pay. I'd just hand-over that amount and keep downloading. ----- A reason to flee judgment is if you DON'T pay the extortion letter, and instead land in court and get charged with millions of dollars (or jailtime). THAT'S a reason to flee.
Also, depending on circumstances, wouldn't it be easier to just track down the RIAA CEO and shoot him in the head? He's a tyrant who is abusing his power to extort/scare citizens. After all if you're going to spend time in jail, spend it for a worthwhile reason, not song theft. "What matter a few deaths in a century? From time to time the Tree of Liberty must be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration, founder of the Democratic Party.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
There's no need for any country-fleeing for someone without significant assets or income. Just pull a Bernie Goetz: do nothing. Let the RIAA obtain all the judgments they can. Declare bankruptcy (the BARF bill a few years ago made it harder, but someone with no assets and low income still has the option). Laugh at the RIAA.
There's also no point in threatening suicide. For students to threaten or even attempt and/or complete suicide over these cases is playing directly into the RIAAs hands; they're trying to frighten people into obeying them, and convincing people that the disobedience is worse than death by one's own hand is an effective motivator.
Stop and think about where we are, and what caused it.
"The parents spent $10000 without consulting a lawyer" is symptomatic of a much larger problem. Americans are (in general) careless with money and spend it frivolously without doing any prior research. There's no reason to expect this girl's parents to act any differently from how their society taught them to act. Spend, spend, spend, and don't stop and think. (Or read a $800 billion spending bill.)
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Of course not. Well established, well heeled middle aged people don't bother to obtain music illegally.
They download movies instead.
The difference being she can work in Canada or Mexico and still travel in and out of the United States, and the RIAA, no matter how many judgments they have, can't touch her income at all. Gotta love the sovereignty of foreign governments!
My blog
Being sentenced to pay-off ~10 million dollars in RIAA damages is equivalent to a life sentence because you are working, not for yourself, but as RIAA's wage slave. So if you've decided not to be a lifelong slave, but instead to go-out in the blaze of glory, might as well take the CEO and board of directors with you.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
I thought we were discussing the U.S., not the UK, France, or China.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Yeah, so the next time your Congress passes a law which mandates you to suck the rich people's dicks, you'll do it. Because, you know, it's the law.
>>>When you can barely get out of bed killing yourself can probably look like a good deal
Yes. I thought about killing myself a few years ago, mainly because I was sick of the "loneliness" of engineering. Go to work, type code all day, go home to an empty hotel room with nothing to keep me company except a television that barely got 3 channels, and 50 kbit/s dialup bittorrent. I eventually decided a miserable life is better than no life, especially when you're getting paid $55/hour, and so I'm still here.
Meanwhile a friend of mine, living 1000 miles away, was apparently having the same debate. He decided a hanging was better than being a website developer, and now he's buried underground.
So yeah I can understand the mentality.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Unless you put a radical Islamic-style spin on the suicide, then you can say that you're becoming a martyr. Then the RIAA has a nasty PR mess on their hands.
>>>deliberately calculated to induce the state of mind she's in now...They'd probably be delighted by a suicide.
You know, I don't wish death on anyone but if this girl had killed herself, maybe RIAA would be sitting in court for third-degree conspiracy to manslaughter (or whatever the legal term is). After all, a neighbor got jailtime for using chat to induce a girl to commit suicide. RIAA v. U.S. - that's a murder case I would love to see. It'd probably get great ratings too on the news channels.
Let's reveal, for everyone to see, how dangerous corporations can be when they use the government to abuse the citizens.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
How would she be extradited for a civil matter? That just doesn't make sense.
Well established, well heeled middle aged people don't bother to obtain music illegally.
They download movies instead.
... and usually ones with ribald puns in the title and featuring actresses who weren't hired for their acting skills ...
Meh... just put the filing fee on your credit card and then include the credit card under the bankruptcy filing. That's, of course, assuming you have a credit card with any balance left.
Before commenting on the Bible, please read it first
If you remember they couldn't get that person for murder so they charged her for some computer related crime related to breaking the myspace ToS.
I don't think there's anywhere we can really hide anymore. Nigeria maybe?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapter_7,_Title_11,_United_States_Code
Until some people decide to take a few lawyers with them in the process.
This highlights that downloading media does have this potential consequence.
While it's sad that this student feels this way, and I've done the same activities myself, anyone considering taking up p2p should consider the small risk of being put under this much pressure to the point that you feel like committing suicide.
I have sympathy for this anonymous student for feeling like killing herself- but you are responsible for your actions and their consequences. It would be different if this was one of the many, many people who a) were dead, b) didn't have computers, c) were under 8 years old, etc. that RIAA has sued over the years (I mean seriously- how could they screw up so badly so many times-- I have to think it is because they were clueless about technology and also that they hired idiots who talked a good show).
I think most agree the artists deserve some compensation. I think most know there are legal ways you can get free songs. And there are numerous safe illegal ways you can get free/extremely inexpensive songs if you are poor (for example, if 15 of you band together, your cost per song is about 10 cents and the artists get some money). (yea-- I do condone poor people taking advantage of the system to have a little pleasure- I think the wealthy rip off everyone to the point that it is justified).
I personally think the cost for songs is way too high and reflects the reality of 1959, not 2009.
Artists do not deserve to be paid forever less one day (I think 28 years is plenty).
So resisting the greedy bastards at RIAA is warranted.
But ghandi knew he would be punished and accepted his punishment. If you p2p songs and you are dumb (most likely) or unlucky (shit happens) then suck it up. No wimps in the paint. If you do commit suicide, go somewhere and make it count. Call the media and off yourself at a music headquarters. Don't just die as an anonymous statistic.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
IMHO, they would get a bunch of "maybe"s, "might"s, "possibly"s and other vague statements from a lawyer. So now they have to pay the lawyer without having any hard advice on how to proceed.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
Umm, any lawyer worth his salt would have just told the girl to file bankruptcy and the parents not to pay. Clearly you've had a bad experience with an attorney in the past but the few times in my life I've had to pay for one (including being wrongfully accused of a crime) it was worth every penny.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
The funny thing is, as spoiled and weak is this new generation supposedly is, they have been one of the best military generations this country has had. They seem to have held unit cohesion and pretty much won a counter-insurgency in Iraq, all the while at a tempo and rate of enemy contact that is pretty far above that of many other wars.
This is my sig.
That's what I just can't grasp. Suing students.
What do you have here: Someone who is about 20, who already has racked up around 50k in debt for his tuition, and then you go an sue him for a bazillion (or just one tiny million if he wishes to settle out of court).
So you start your life with over a million down. What would you do? Know what I'd do? Wellfare. Yes, exactly. Work? Am I nuts? You won't get out of debt ever in your life, living the life of a minimum wage slave no matter how much you earn for the rest of your days. Why the heck should I try to pay a debt that was created basically by racketeering and extortion? Often enough without the defendent breaking any laws, his only crime being that he cannot stand up in court against the allegations.
I'm actually waiting for the first to ponder that his life is over anyway, so why not arm up and take a few of those with him that ended it.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
You make 5k a month after tax? Are you hiring?
And I like that Jefferson dude more and more. He made some compelling statements.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
It has become a criminal offense in some countries by now, being in the same book as assault, manslaughter and other real crimes.
I wouldn't rule it out.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
and this got modded informative?
I know, should have been insightful, right? Stupid moderators.
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
Wanting the RIAA dead is on the list of the terr'ists?
Do I have to turn myself in now for being a sympathizer?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Given how much China cares about patents and copyright, this might actually be the place to go. After all you just copied someone else's idea, you didn't try to think for yourself. Not really a crime in their books IIRC.
Or flee to Cuba. PR reasons alone could give you a warm welcome there.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
The young, the elderly, the sick... sounds like a predator picking his prey.
The RIAA prey on their target audience. What happens to a predator when the prey goes extinct?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Why kill yourself when you can flee the country?
To where? They have to let her in. And the cost of moving properly from one country to another can cost more than what she's being sued for. So she'd show up in some third world country (the only ones that would let her in) with no resources and be worse off than her current situation.
Learn to love Alaska
You should have said lick rich people's assholes. Rich women want some stimulation too.
I like how you have decided her guilt before hand. That seems fair.
"In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, ... Many types of unsecured debt are legally discharged by the bankruptcy proceeding, but there are various types of debt that are not discharged in a Chapter 7. Common exceptions to discharge include ... fines and restitution imposed by a court for any crimes committed by the debtor. ..." - Wikipedia, the same article you cited...
IANAL, but I'd recommend reconsidering your legal strategy.
You can get 15 minutes of fame, but you can go down in history for infamy.
What if MediaSentry presents an employee, who can't sleep, study, or "live a normal life" because of the worry (over the accusations of operating illegally)? Would that absolve MediaSentry of all responsibility and make us all sympathize with the poor guys?
No? Then why are we all in pieces over the girl in legal trouble (of her own making)?
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Damages != fines and restitution.
This is a civil court. It doesn't fine people (save, perhaps for contempt and perjury). The phrasing seems to indicate criminal convictions. So say she showed up to court and told the judge to eat shit twelve times. The fines she might get for contempt would not be discharged, but the damages would be.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
But those movies contain RIAA music, for which they aren't going their cut. Don't tell them I said that.
Damages != fines and restitution.
This is a civil court. It doesn't fine people (save, perhaps for contempt and perjury). The phrasing seems to indicate criminal convictions.
You'll also note it says "fines and restitution imposed by a court for any crimes committed by the debtor."
Since this is a civil case, there are no official crimes committed by the debtor (i.e., you're right, it would indicate criminal proceedings).
IANAL
I can see why, if you don't know the difference between a civil judgment and fines imposed upon a criminal conviction.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Kinda reminds a person of the concept of "Debtors Prison", don't it??
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
Here's the catch. Ever try to finish college with a judgement over your head? Ever try to keep your student loans for your last 2 or 3 years of college after that judgement has been filed (or worse, you've declared bankruptcy)? Or hope that the destruction of your credit (via the judgement or bankruptcy) wont prevent you from getting the job you want (many big employers now do credit checks)?
Or does mom and dad have to bail you out (pay the extortion fees to the RIAA) to ensure that you can continue to go to school and continue to get loans to pay your remaining years?
I dont think it's too much of a gamble on the part of the RIAA... and it is definitely a planned one.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
And may soon here. There's currently a line that's getting blurrier every day as to what constitutes civil and criminal copyright infringement - and the RIAA (and MPAA) are actively trying to remove that line.
The other factor is, the "Big 4" gang that comprises the RIAA have similar entities in other countries that can continue their nonsense against the alleged infringers if they were to move to other countries. And being multi-national companies, they can file suit there as well. Of course a lot of that is dependent on what the copyright laws are in those countries - but as pointed out, some are as bad or worse than ours.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
Have you ever read some of the extortion letters they send? I got a series from Microsoft and the BSA once. Talking to a lawyer, they implied, was grounds for them rescinding their "generous offer" and taking legal action.
There was a list of other things that would cause them to do that as well... not sending them the detailed information they wanted, and so on. They also demanded entry into my premises to confirm such. No nothing indicating they had no legal right to enter my premises at will. No nothing indicating they had no case. I sent them back a letter telling them they were forbidden to ever step foot on my property - and if they did, I would have any representative of their arrested for criminal trespass. Then I sent them a list of all of the OS/2 installations I had - no Windows ones, and images of all the authentic, unused Windows licenses that we had - and advised them continued harrassment would be grounds for me initiating legal action against them.
Funny thing is, they knew we were running OS/2, and most have "assumed" (or been given wrong information by an "informant") that we had lotsa Windows machines. I know they knew that, because added to my arsenal against them, were logs from all of the machines showing probes coming from Microsoft.
Anyway, the point is, most people dont know what they can or cannot; should or should not; do in cases like this... and the extortion letters directly imply many things that you should not do if you want to make your situation worse (with plenty of legal speak to cover their asses telling you the exact opposite where required by law). So, many uniformed people get scared by the settlement letters and follow through as the RIAA wants.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
Have you ever read some of the extortion letters they send? I got a series from Microsoft and the BSA once. Talking to a lawyer, they implied, was grounds for them rescinding their "generous offer" and taking legal action.
And I had a debt collector threaten to show up at my house with the sheriff and have me arrested once. So what? People need to learn their rights and stand up for them. You can't expect the person who is trying to extort you to be truthful and honest with you. The fact that they said not to get a lawyer would have been my first indication that I needed one.
So, many uniformed people get scared by the settlement letters and follow through as the RIAA wants.
People are sheep. I can't say that I have much sympathy for them if they aren't willing to stand up and fight back. I'd love to get one of those letters from the BSA or RIAA. The BSA would be a neat trick too, since my company runs Linux almost exclusively.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
LoL... we're saying the same thing. And yeah, I found the whole BSA thing quite amusing since we were running virtually exclusively OS/2, 3 Macs, and a single Win2K machine (and owned 22 licenses).
I had a fun time of it.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
Made me imagine a suicide bomber killing a lot of RIAA people... damn, that'd be the first good thing to ever come from Islam!
Circumcision is child abuse.
From personal experience? http://www.amazon.com/careers/ There you go.
And I had a debt collector threaten to show up at my house with the sheriff and have me arrested once. So what? People need to learn their rights and stand up for them.
Amen to that. It's horrifying to watch people jump through hoops because of empty threats.
I've had many situations like that. Security guards are notorious for this stuff. "Give me your ID NOW!" gets a response of "Fine, present your ID as a peace officer of (or for) the state of Texas, or any local or federal agency."
Wal-Mart? "We'd like to stop you to check your receipt." get a hearty "Actually, no. Did you see me steal anything? Since you didn't, you can't assert 'shopkeepers privilege' and I'm under no obligation to assist in your "loss prevention program" after the sale is completed unless you plan to compensate me for my time."
My personal fave came from a check-cashing venue. A client of mine had bounced a check, and for whatever reason they called threatening me for payment. I was told that I'd better comply, because "we have more power than a bank!"
I spent the next five minutes laughing at the rep, repeating "but wait, you have more power than... a BANK! ie, you have nothing and need to stop bothering me." I never heard back from them again.
If you don't know your rights, they WILL be abused unless you stand for them.
Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
No, she did not commit a crime. She allegedly infringed copyright. This is not a crime. It's a civil action, decided in a civil court. If it was a crime, she would be entitled to
- have access to counsel, and if she can't afford it, to have the State pay for counsel
- right of habeas corpus (to see the evidence being arrayed against her at an early stage)
- her day in court, in front of a jury of her peers (civil cases aren't necessarily seen before a full jury, this varies by jurisdiction)
- the other side would have the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt (instead of on a balance of the evidence).
- protection against self-incrimination (civil defendants can be compelled under oath to make admissions against their own interests, criminal defendants cannot be so compelled).
People who infringe copyright are not entitled to these benefits, and I'm sure the RIAA likes it that way.
Rule of Slashdot #0: You and people like you are not representative of the larger population. - A.C.
"Could it be SafeNet, with important US government connections and contracts, could no longer afford to be even loosely associated with a company which apart from anything else, stands every chance of being prosecuted across America for practising illegally as a private investigator?"
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/19711
If you want to kill yourself, it's your problem. The stressor will come at some point. It must.
We can't go campaigning to remove all stress from life because some people have a predilection for suicide. It is up to the suicidally inclined to remove pressure from their life through their actions. Doing something illegal will, in sufficient quantity, provide stress. It is just that lack of conscience will eventually produce stress.
I'm not a media sentry fan, and I have a great deal of sympathy for the woman, but her mental illness is irrelevant to the issue. The anecdote is syrupy bathos designed to provoke an emotional response.
I'm not biting. She needs to get some Prozac and that fact does not change the fact that the RIAA needs to be investigated, and charged under RICO. Big deal. (*shrug*)
--
Toro
>>>They also demanded entry into my premises to confirm such.
Dear RIAA,
Thank you for helping me keep warm this winter. Your massive letter made great kindling for the fire. Please send me more.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
That's because that neighbor didn't do anything other than talk. RIAA on the other hand is demanding $10,000 or else, which is akin to what some debt collectors do and also illegal in nearly-all states. Add in a suicide and a persuasive lawyer could make the case RIAA's threats resulted in a death. Since it was an unintentional, it would be manslaughter, but still a serious enough crime.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
>>>People need to learn their rights and stand up for them.
That's the job of the schools to teach the citizens. You know, prepare them for life in a democratic, rights-based Republic. But of course the schools are run by the government, and the government prefers citizens remain ignorant of their rights.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
I wouldn't say that. Instead, I'd blame ignorance and scare tactics. I can see my parents, or many others I know, overlooking legal advice when threatened with a threat of this magnitude. The fault is in system, not with the parents.
She doesn't need to flee the country. Hell she doesn't even need to flee the county. Just be willing to take on a hispanic sounding name for a bit and perhaps relocate to another neighborhood and start completely from scratch money-wise. I'm sure if she bothered to learn just a hint of Spanish and scrounges up some cash, she wouldn't have to go much further than a local fast food joint to get tipped on where to go to get a new identity. Especially around Chicago, Daley administration has made it fairly safe for illegals here.
CAPCHA is aliased... lol
When I die I will no longer be aware that I am no longer aware.
Very few people wake up one morning, decide the world is a bleak place and off themselves without a word. Whether or not the suicide attempt itself is a cry for help, or the result of a legitimate desire to end one's life, most people DO "cry for help" before they ever do it.
And it is because no one listened that they end up following through with the act. Maybe because no one ever listened to them (or they had no one to tell) is the reason they take their own life.
That's the job of parents to teach their kids. You know, prepare them for life in a democratic, rights-based Republic.
Fixed that for you.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.