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MPAA Executive Tampers With Evidence In Piracy Case

An anonymous reader writes "TorrentFreak reports on an internet piracy case from Finland, which saw four men found guilty and fined €45,000. During the trial, the defense attorney took note of inconsistencies in log files used as evidence against the men. An investigator for international recording industry organization IFPI revealed after questioning that the files had been tampered with. He said an MPAA executive was present when the evidence gathering took place, and altered the files to hide the identity of 'one of their spies.' 'No one from the MPAA informed the defense that the edits had been made and the tampering was revealed at the worst possible time – during the trial. This resulted in the prosecutor ordering a police investigation into the changes that had been made. "Police then proceeded by comparing the 'work copy' that the IFPI investigator produced with the material that police and the defending counsels had received. Police found out that the material had differences in over 10 files," Hietanen reveals.'"

3 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Handcuffs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Usually I don't support "send a message" type of prosecutions (Aaron Swartz, as just one example) but these guys need to be smacked down, hard. Fines are insufficient; anything short of significant jail time won't do a damn thing to the MAFIAA sociopathic execs who honestly believe they are above the law.

    A message needs to be sent, and this looks to be an open and shut case. I sure hope to see handcuffs.

    1. Re:Handcuffs by king+neckbeard · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Evidence tampering is a serious crime, with penalties up to 20 years the US. Not sure about Finland's laws, but significant jail time would be an appropriate and proportional response for these actions. "Sending a message" is when the response is disproportionate and inappropriate..

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  2. I'm surprised by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    that it hasn't been swept under the rug