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Swedish Anti-Piracy Lawyer Gets New Name 'Pirate'

Posted by samzenpus on from the the-power-of-the-prank dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet (in Swedish) reports that Henrik Pontén, a lawyer of Antipiratbyrån, a Swedish organization against file sharing, has received a notification from officials that an application for change of his name has been approved and a new first name 'Pirate' has been added to his name. Authorities do not check the identity of persons applying for name changes. Pirate Pontén now has to apply for another change in order to revert the change."

15 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. it will only hurt the cause... by VMaN · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Horribly childish, and just gives the opposition more ammo, and reinforces the childish stereotype.

    But goddamn that's a brilliant prank.

    1. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by steeljaw · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Agreed, but even though it will be viewed as a cheap prank it is still quite clever. Not to mention the fact that it had me LMFAO!!

      --
      Procrastinators, Unite Tomorrow!!
    2. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It is indeed a good prank. He should be more interested in securing the name change process instead of trying to pin it on the Pirate Party or one of their supporters. They may never know who actually submitted the change.

    3. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      My, aren't we tin-foily today..

    4. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, the guy can't both demand people have less personal information protection _AND_ demand people have more personal information protection.

      --
      - These characters were randomly selected.
    5. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't think speculation is pointless. We have one extremely unlikely possibility, and one extremely likely possibility. Saying speculation is pointless implies they are equally likely.

    6. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by Devout_IPUite · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you know a sense of humor is on your side in an argument, faking a crime to make the other side look childish is a compelling tactic. Do you really think the anti-piracy groups are too stupid to realize the potential?

      People can and do frame others for crimes. Scientologists have a long running history of it, I don't doubt that copy-right leachers (the people who make money off of other's copyrights without actually contributing anything) would try this same kind of thing.

    7. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by twidarkling · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't think it's blazingly hilarious, but if the system's letting anyone change anyone else's name because they're not bothering to check identities, then the system is broken. Simple as that. Better it's abused in such a fashion now, rather than something more serious, so that it can be fixed.

      --
      Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
    8. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Any system that can be abused so easily is broken and should be fixed.

      As I've said before, I'm in IT security. And I've seen time and again that there are systems that contain very sensitive data with shoddy, if any, security in place. When pointed out, the responsible people usually point me at legal instead of IT.

      Legal isn't where security should be done. You don't protect your data with laws, you protect them by protecting them. Handing the security of a system (IT, bureaucratic, whatever) to legal is asking for trouble, as much as saying that you don't need fire extinguishers, you got a good insurance covering you when you burn down to the ground.

      The same applies here. If it is possible to change someone's name at will, the system needs an overhaul. Sure, it is against the law, but this should be the last line of defense, to keep people who are really GOOD at breaking it from breaking it because they got other, more profitable, ways to achive something within the boundaries of the law. More and more often, laws and regulations are regarded as the first, and often only, line of defense you have against an attack.

      That's not only enough, that's simply and plainly asking for trouble. Especially when dealing with people who act out of zeal and not out of personal profit and gain.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    9. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by TheP4st · · Score: 2, Insightful

      At least they didn't change his name to "Kinderfucker" or whatever the Swedish equivalent would be.

      That would not have gone through as there are guidelines for what name you can have in Sweden and that would definitely not pass, I am actually quite doubtful this one normally would either, and am leaning towards the possibility that whoever that approved the change don't have much sympathy for Pirate Ponten and therefore could not resist approving the change.

      --
      "I have downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records, why would I care if somebody downloads ours?" Robin Pecknold
  2. Who is he really now? by HorzaSe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wonder if he has to sign the request to revert his name, with "Pirate Ponten" for it to be considered?

  3. Re:'Bout damn time... by MikeBabcock · · Score: 4, Insightful

    My grandmother used to say "you may be right, you can be dead right."

    She said it in reference to a specific ancestor who got shot for taking back a saw that was his from a neighbour who borrowed and would not return it. Being right isn't everything in other words, sometimes being alive is good too.

    --
    - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
  4. Re:Someone should by harryandthehenderson · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Losely translated

    There have been many people who use "loose" where they've meant "lose", but I think this is the first time someone has made this stupid mistake in the reverse.

  5. "identity theft" - get the fuck out by unity100 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    noone STOLE their identity.

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    Read radical news here
  6. It Fits by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's a deserving moniker for someone who is hell-bent on stealing the public domain and "finding infringement" where none exists under Swedish law.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."