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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."

39 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: 5, Interesting

      There is also the possibility that he did this too himself, nobody knows since who ever changed his name is anonymous.

      And know this, the news article was published on the day before the Swedish election. Very suspicious timing by the anti-piracy agency here...

    3. 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.

    4. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not so fast ... understand the full implication of "published on the day before the Swedish election". Could be members of The Pirate Party, the folks that run The Pirate Bay. These guys have real candidates running for real public offices.

      --
      My blog
    5. 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.
    6. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by serutan · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Or we could admit that speculation either way is pointless. People do fake crimes, and Occam's Razor != knowing.

    7. 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.

    8. 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.

    9. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by BaronHethorSamedi · · Score: 4, Interesting

      But goddamn that's a brilliant prank.

      In my mind, this is actually a little beyond childish prank territory.

      To all you folks who are going to write in with "ZOMG LMAO! Grow a sense of humor!" and so on, ask yourselves: would a straight-up act of identity theft be as funny if it were aimed at an anti-copyright lobbyist? This isn't a prank--the man's signature was forged on an official document, and then (apparently) submitted to the Swedish tax authorities. I don't know about Sweden, but in the U.S. that's pretty heavily criminal conduct.

    10. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by cffrost · · Score: 5, Funny

      ZOMG LMAO! Grow a sense of humor!

      --
      Thank you, Edward Snowden.

      "Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
    11. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by Mr.+Freeman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They weren't fraudulent wire transfers, idiot. They were perfectly legitimate, small value transfers. It just so happened that there was a processing fee greater than the value of the intended transfer amount. Furthermore, Occam razor doesn't mean jack shit. "The simplest solution is USUALLY correct". It doesn't mean that the simplest solution is ALWAYS correct.

      It's perfectly legitimate to suspect that this guy did this himself to make the pirate party look more childish and discredit them. We've seen the anti-piracy fucks do weirder, stupider and more far fetched things in the past.

      --
      -1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
    12. 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.
    13. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by bennomatic · · Score: 2, Funny

      We have one extremely unlikely possibility, and one extremely likely possibility.

      Says you, "Mike", if that is your real name...

      --
      The CB App. What's your 20?
    14. 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.
    15. Re:it will only hurt the cause... by rtb61 · · Score: 2

      Well it is the pretty much the same as comparing a child who copies a song, to a person who steals the family car, pirates come on now really. To be clear here, if I could press the button and make a copy of any car I liked, well bugger the copyrightists and show me the button.

      So yeah, moves are afoot to get copyright back under control, to eliminate the excessive influence of publicists and mass media over politics, ensure that copyright is valued well below the real essential of life, that only content that is of value to society is protected and duration is pulled back to the original period.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    16. 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. 'Bout damn time... by geekmux · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...a lawyer was honest enough to carry this title.

    (ducks for cover)

    1. 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)
    2. Re:'Bout damn time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      You're obviously confused. Lawyers are vampires not pirates.

    3. Re:'Bout damn time... by AioKits · · Score: 5, Funny

      Does this mean NYCL gets to change his first name to Badass?

      Badass Beckerman does have a nice ring to it...

      --
      "Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted." -Groucho Marx
  3. 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?

    1. Re:Who is he really now? by nicolas.kassis · · Score: 4, Funny

      he can just make an X

  4. And yet transsexuals cannot change gender freely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In Sweden if you're trans and want to change to a name of the different gender you need approval from social servcies, which among other things requires you are sterile. Yet a lawyer can add "Pirate" to his first name without the agencies even checking the identity of the applicant. Hurra fÃr myndigheter!

  5. Re:Someone should by MoellerPlesset2 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What's funnier is that Sweden already has a guy named Butt: Billy Butt.

    He was a record producer who was convicted on multiple counts of rape.

  6. The Poem of the Day by Celeste+R · · Score: 2, Funny

    Please excuse this poem, which some could argue is cornier than a corn cob...

    The Lawyer who turned Pirate:
          There once was a lawyer from Switzerland
          Who was paid to take things hand over hand
          When someone called the kettle black
          And at this lawyer took a whack
          He's now known as part of a pirate band.

    --
    There are no perfect answers, only the right questions. More questions at http://foresightandhindsight.blogspot.com/
  7. The last line of TFA... by vigmeister · · Score: 4, Interesting

    mentions an official stating his name will be reverted "in due time"

    What are they waiting for? Oh! That's right... an anonymous application!

    On the note of applications, this article will probably precipitate a flood of similar immature requests. Maybe the department should suspend applications for a short while until appropriate changes in the procedure are put in place. Hopefully, it doesn't require any legislation and is simply a directive from some official to change the policies.

    Cheers!

    --
    Atheist: Buddhist in a Prius
  8. Re:And yet transsexuals cannot change gender freel by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 3, Funny

    So enter a filing to change his name to "Transgender-Refused" instead of "Pirate". It might make your point public, and annoy the lawyer yet again.

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  9. Dear Mr. Ponten by should_be_linear · · Score: 4, Funny

    We regret our mistake not verifying your identity when accepting name change to "Pirate". Your original name "HotLolitazWarez Ponten" is restored. Sincerely, Mr. Foo Bar Sweden department of anonymous name change

    --
    839*929
  10. obligatory xkcd reference by kaini · · Score: 2, Funny

    http://xkcd.com/327/

    --
    please restate bitrate in libraries of congress per hour.
  11. Re:Someone should by Bunji+X · · Score: 4, Funny

    Even more funny (or tragic) is the reason they found him guilty. Losely translated from my memory:

    "The defendant has such peculiar looks that the court finds it unlikely that any young woman would willingly have sex with him."

    I agree with the stand up comedian that later stated, "It must be hard having a court judgement declaring that you *are* ugly". No question about it. No doubts. You are legally declared ugly.

    --
    ---
    The combined human population is enough to feed every living tiger for app. 28000 years.
  12. 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.

  13. Re:And yet transsexuals cannot change gender freel by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hurra fÃr myndigheter!

    Is that Swedish for, "You magnificent bastard! I salute you!"

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

    noone STOLE their identity.

    --
    Read radical news here
  15. 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."
  16. Pirate? by Alex+Belits · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wouldn't it make more sense to change it to "Ninja"?

    --
    Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
  17. Re:Entirely consistent behavior. by shaitand · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Any pro IP lawyer who has made public statements has already made it clear he has no interest in integrity either his own or that associated with his name.

  18. Re:Someone should by lordholm · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And several of the girls admitted that they had sex with him voluntarily and that they had been pressured by the newspaper (Aftonbladet or Expressen, can't remember which one) to file charges.

    The guy has tried to appeal the sentence (he is already out of prison, but he want his name cleared). He basically said that (from my memory): "I know I pressured the girls by false promises and so, and I was a real bastard and an awful person, but I did not commit rape."

    The guy was owning a record company, and it was very naive by the court to say what they did, some girls (and guys) would be happy to sleep with someone like that if it can fast forward their career. It is certainly not "PC" to say so, but it is still the fact of things.

    --
    "Civis Europaeus sum!"
  19. Re:And yet transsexuals cannot change gender freel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Damn, you guys have a word for everything.