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Finland: Open WiFi Access Point Owner Not Liable For Infringement

Posted by Unknown on from the pirating-play-goers dept.

New submitter mjrauhal writes "In Finland, the operator of an open WiFi access point was found not guilty for copyright infringement allegedly committed over said access point. The operation of such access points would have become legally risky were this decided otherwise. Appeal by the Finnish Anti-Piracy Center is still possible for this district court ruling."

5 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Duh? by Wattos · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Offtopic: Can we please automatically delete all posts with links to my clean pc?

    Ontopic:
    This baffles me on how money is wasted on anti-piracy. This case should have been dismissed at the very beginning. How can you blame someone simply on the basis of ownership? This is like suing an owner of a car for not locking his car, because his car stolen and used in a crime.

    What happens if I use WEP encryption? Would I be liable as well? I wish that the media corporations stopped trolling and started creating some business models which actually make sense in this day and age. All others have already moved forward.

    1. Re:Duh? by brit74 · · Score: 1, Interesting

      > "I'm surprised too, but I think this ruling is satisfying. After all, just because it's hard/impossible to find the people who actually committed the crime (or perhaps it's just a civil suit), that doesn't mean they should be able to successfully punish/sue the wrong people."

      I don't agree with punishing the wifi owner for the actual crime of the person who uses their wifi, but I do think wifi should be locked down for a variety of reasons - including piracy, viruses, hacking, etc. I also think ISPs should be allowed to ban people's computers if they're part of a botnet to do DOS attacks or send spam or viruses. I actually think it's kind of stupid the way we've put virtually no effort into securing the computer infrastructure. Perhaps if someone's wifi is left open and crimes are committed, then the ISPs should be proactive in helping to ensure that people's wifi's are made reasonably secure. If people are intentionally not securing their wifis, then maybe a small fine (which is not connected to the crimes committed) which is attached to the monthly bill.

    2. Re:Duh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No, the model is coming up with new ways to make money off of the entertainment being created. Give it away for free (or sell it at a fraction of the cost where it becomes more work to pirate it) so it becomes wildly popular. Then, sell merchandise related to said media. Have special showings of said media. Have live shows...people can't pirate live shows. Sell advertising inside the media using product placement. I dunno...I am just making shit up but there ARE possibilities here. Why is everyone so lazy to think and come up with new ideas? The internet has changed things. I thought of some ideas in 30 seconds and I am an engineer with no creative ability. I am sure some of those artsy-fartsy types can figure something out if they put their minds to it! The entertainment industry needs to realize this, and adapt. Adapt or die.

    3. Re:Duh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The model is to banish our perpetual copyright, and go back to a sane amount of years until works enter the public domain.

      I think 25 years is reasonable. At that rate, every movie from 1987 & before would be public domain, and we could have a decent selection on hulu.

      Then, I might be willing to pay for a new movie...

      business models that can undercut piracy which don't also involve a large cut in revenues.

      Lobbying for new laws should not be a 'business model.' Who cares if they have to take a revenue cut? They backed themselves into this corner, fuck 'em, they *should* be taking a revenue cut.

  2. Smokescreen by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This fanfare over piracy, thinking of the children, and terrorism is just masking the real issue. Follow the money trail - it leads to mobile phone carriers.

    If everyone had open access wifi, there would be reduced need for 3G data plans in major cities. Handsets would use VOIP.