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FBI Prioritizes Copyright Over Missing Persons

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-that-makes...-something dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The FBI has limited resources, so it needs to prioritize what it works on. However, it's difficult to see why dealing with copyright infringement seems to get more attention than identity theft or missing persons. In the past year, the FBI has announced a special new task force to fight intellectual property infringement, but recent reports have shown that both identity theft and missing persons have been downgraded as priorities by the FBI, to the point that there are a backlog of such cases."

7 of 372 comments (clear)

  1. Elementary my dear Watson by countertrolling · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The FBI exists to protect profits. In fact the government exists to protect commerce, the very basis of our society

    --
    For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
    1. Re:Elementary my dear Watson by Kepesk · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I must disagree. Government exists to protect the people and the peoples' resources. It has been hijacked with legal bribes in order to protect commerce over the people. That's what we're seeing here.

      --
      Help me fix my brother's injured butt!
    2. Re:Elementary my dear Watson by Moryath · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Put another way:

      There's no money in solving actual crimes. On the other hand, doing the dirty work of the MafiAA is a way to collect some kick-ass bribes.

  2. Re:so that bigger then going after rapist in DNA l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Their DNA lab is so backed up, they can't effectively pursue any violent criminals, so evil copyright violators are the low-hanging fruit.

    This is the "change" we voted for?

  3. Actually... by msauve · · Score: 5, Insightful
    property rights.

    Political power, then, I take to be a right of making laws with penalties of death, and consequently all less penalties, for the regulating and preserving of property, and of employing the force of the community, in the execution of such laws, and in the defence of the common-wealth from foreign injury; and all this only for the public good.

    --- John Locke, 2nd Treatise of Gov't vis-a-vis US Const, 5th and 14th Amendments.

    The argument then becomes whether ideas can be property. The US Constitution, by implication, says no - "Writings and Discoveries" are an "exclusive right" only for a "limited time," a clear statement that "intellectual property" is not property at all, but a limited and artificially constructed grant of rights.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  4. Re:The economy is in the tank by Nadaka · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Every dollar not spent on bad movies and pop music is one more dollar that can be spent on productive industry.

  5. Re:Wrong by Grishnakh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    CORRECT:
    The FBI has a backlog of missing person DNA to run in the DNA labs.
    The FBI is increasing the amount of manpower assigned to copyright.

    If they have a big backlog in the DNA labs, but they're increasing the manpower assigned to copyright "crimes", then that looks to me like they're prioritizing copyright over missing persons. If missing persons were a higher priority, they would devote more resources to their backlogged DNA labs, so that they wouldn't be backlogged any more, and they wouldn't devote any more resources to copyright.

    So it looks like the summary is correct after all.