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Judge Who Ordered Pirate Bay Censorship Found To Be Corrupt

Posted by Soulskill on from the conflict-of-interest dept.

TheGift73 writes "TorrentFreak reports that 'This week yet another court order was handed down in Europe with the aim of censoring The Pirate Bay. The ruling forbids the Dutch Pirate Party from not only running a direct proxy, but also telling people how to circumvent an earlier court ordered blockade. However, according to Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge, the judge in the case has a history of corruption relating to another file-sharing case he presided over in the Netherlands. The Court of The Hague in the Netherlands has been particularly busy this work with Pirate Bay-related cases.' Falkvinge wrote, '... not only was the plaintiff and judge personally and closely acquainted, the plaintiff in a controversial copyright monopoly case was running a commercial anti-piracy outfit together with the judge in the case. Money was involved. Commercial interest was involved. The judge was, as it appears from this brochure for the quite expensive course, getting money. Shortly after the case. In a directly related matter together with the plaintiff. That makes the judge not only corrupt, but textbook corrupt.'"

13 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Why? by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why was the judge allowed to continue being a judge after being found corrupt? Judges, like police, should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us, not given a free pass because of their status.

    1. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because no legal body found him to be corrupt. These are accusations being made.

    2. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      I disagree; that is objectively BS.

    3. Re:Why? by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If someone has an interest in the outcome of a trial he is a party and not suitable as a judge, corruption or no corruption. At the very least he is partial and hence unfit to preside as a judge.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Why? by penix1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And when the shooter turns out to be the judge's brother that is OK with you? That is what this case is sounding like. When you have financial interests in the outcome and refuse to recuse yourself from the case, it leads to the appearance of corruptness which is something we can't have in the judicial system. There are strict judicial guidelines (at least in the US) mandating judicial behavior. If a judge can't follow them, they need to feel the full weight of the law.

      --
      This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
    5. Re:Why? by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Even if I bought that line, the fact remains that in this case, if the allegations are true, the judge is a direct beneficiary of his own judgements. That is indeed textbook corruption.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    6. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The purpose of involuntary government and religion is to exploit people.

  2. Re:Vacate? by __aaltlg1547 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If it's true it should.

  3. You think? by backslashdot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Anyone who is willing to clamp down harshly on basic human freedoms has to be either corrupt or criminally insane. Either way they oughta be either in jail or in the Arkham asylum.

  4. Re:Europe is not a country by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who are you calling Americans? The use of Europe is correct in the summary, TPB is being censored in many countries in said continent. Your use of Americans is a totum pro parte.

  5. To be fair by MRe_nl · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The story would have been more aptly named
    "Rick Falkvinge believes judge to be corrupt".

    --
    "Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
  6. Re:Vacate? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, but they need not convince me of this - they'll have to convince one of his judge buddies of it.

  7. Re:hang em all by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1, Insightful
    Why the homophobia? And yes, equating corrupt judges with homosexual people during the act is homophobic.

    (Ok, ok, as the mod shows, it was meant to be funny, but still...)