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Two Arrests In Denmark For Spreading Information About Popcorn Time
An anonymous reader writes: You may recall Popcorn Time, the software that integrated torrents with a streaming media player. It fell afoul of the law quite quickly, but survived and stabilized. Now, out of Denmark comes news that two men operating websites related to Popcorn Time have been arrested, and their sites have been shut down. It's notable because the sites were informational resources, explaining how to use the software. They did not link to any copyright-infringing material, they were not involved with development of Popcorn Time or any of its forks, and they didn't host the software. "Both men stand accused of distributing knowledge and guides on how to obtain illegal content online and are reported to have confessed."
NEVER confess to anything! All they've done is to hang themselves. Gubbermint says, "We don't like what you're doing." Your response? Are you really going to tell gubbermint, "Oh, I'm so sorry - please, just lock me away for a few decades!"
The better response is, "Prove your case, assholes!"
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Against this:
"Both men stand accused of distributing knowledge and guides on how to obtain illegal content online and are reported to have confessed."
?
If there is, then they are probably in violation. But aren't there other resources on how to do illegal things that don't get shut down? Plenty of folks have written about how to get onto Silk Road and buy drugs and yet we haven't seen those sites disappear... curious. Just goes to show they don't care about whether its illegal or not, only if it *slightly* affects their bottom line. But we all knew that already, didn't we?
Popcorn Time steals from the lives of the people who created this content. Those who aid and abet thieves should get put away. I realize this forum exists solely to promote ripping off GoT episodes, but, come ON. Wake up people.
You just provided information regarding the types of shows available on Popcorn Time. Now they are going to arrest you too.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
May as well dismantle libraries next. They are chock full of information that could be used to subvert the state. The last thing government wants is a well-educated populace.
Comparing copyright infringement to murder for hire. You're the moron.
Bullocks.
And that's not "unhealthy" or "libertarian-leaning" or anything. That's freedom of thought, speech, and press, plain and simple. And the concept predates the mass adoption of the internet by decades.
Remember dead-tree bookstores? In the mid-90s, you could walk into pretty much any Barnes & Nobles, find on the shelves, and buy a copy of "The Anarchist Cookbook", Abby Hoffman's "Steal This Book", any number of the Hayduke "Getting Even" books, PIHKAL, TIHKAL, and occasionally they would even have "The Poor Man's James Bond". Any and all of those contain instructions on howto do things that were and are illegal. Some of them actively encourage those actions. And that's in a mainstream chain book store that used to be in every town of any significant population. If you checked out independent "alternative" bookstores or bookstores aimed at activist communities in large cities you'd find stuff even more colorful. And it's all 100% legal, because we punish people for ACTIONS, not writings or thoughts. And there's absolutely no reason whatsoever for that to be different because computers.
Imagine all the people...
The original reference to teachers was not comparable either.
It was not supposed to be comparable, it was supposed to demonstrate the dangers of prosecuting people for non-crimes based on what someone speculates as intent.
Copyright issues isn't as damaging to society as say a web sites that enables access to drug dealers.
That may be true, but you are also incorrectly attempting to equate apples to orangutans. These guys were not publishing maps to drug dealers, and even if they were that would not be illegal (at least in the US). Arrest records are public information which would give someone enough to know where to buy drugs. While it may seem sleezy to publish such a map, it certainly would not be illegal. These guys were only publishing information, not providing the tools to use the information with.
Since you can not make a fair comparison either, how about I give you one? "The Anarchists Cookbook" is not illegal to possess and not illegal to purchase (again, at least in the US). That book contains information on how to do illegal things too, and nobody is going to jail over that book.
An even better comparison may be to a crime novel. There is lots of information in those about how to break the law. Are those illegal also? How about a book that shows the parts of a Machine gun, are those now illegal because anyone can go to a URL and read how to take one apart and put it together? Machine guns are illegal right?
My advice to anybody is to avoid getting involved in enabling illegal activities or be willing to accept possible consequences.
My advice to you is to learn some history and stop defending non-event prosecution. Perhaps then you would realize how dangerous the process you are backing really is. Immunity for people who think they are in the club generally does not last very long. Chinese and Russian history is full of examples.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
Well said.
I also have a huge issue with Beerdood's statement that, "Maybe it's time to re-think your principles and realize that "information" that supports or promotes illegal activity should be taken down, regardless of how severe the crime is". Fuck that.
Laws change, and that change often comes through education of others. Promoting women's suffrage in the 1800's should not be illegal. Documenting how a Jewish person might escape Germany in 1945 should not be illegal. I'm not surprised that those in power want it to be illegal to simply document how to do something that might have an impact on their bottom line and may violate copyright laws in some (ok, most) jurisdictions, but we should not consider that acceptable. One may argue otherwise, but I feel this would fall directly under Amendment I of the US Bill of Rights (and yes, I realize this is not taking place in the US, but these are an enumeration of what many believe to be unalienable rights).
They're not forcing anyone to read those pages; They're not distributing copyrighted works, or even links to copyrighted works; The wrong parties are being sought out there - those that are violating the copyrights should be the targets. The problem with that is that Beerdood would likely be charged, just as would most of the RIAA, MPAA, the lawyers, and most of society as well.