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Germany Set To End Copyright Liability For Open Wi-Fi Operators
An anonymous reader writes: People who travel to Germany are often surprised at the lack of public, open Wi-Fi networks. That's because German law holds operators of public hotspots liable for everything their users do online, especially when these actions are against the law, and even if the operators weren't aware of them. The law doesn't apply to commercial operators, but does to private (think home WI-Fi's) and small operators (e.g. wireless networks set up by public establishments like coffee bars, shops, etc.). But, there's more than a good chance that this clause of the law will be repelled this year, and hopefully, open Wi-Fi networks in Germany will mushroom as a result.Copyright trolls, who make money by sending invoices to people claiming that their content has been infringed, will not be pleased.
English, motherfucker! Do you speak it?
...a guest SSID on every AP coming to everything near you!
A 'singular oddity' is an event that cannot be explained and only happens when you are alone.
There's only one way to deal with this. You all know what it is...
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Surrender? Because you know, they've proved to be way more powerful than internet nerds.
Pirate more music that has no reason being disseminated in the first place? IMHO any music worth listening too is already free.
In my case I was accused of file-sharing some porn film. It was a false positive but that does not make any difference under current German law, if their program says you were file-sharing then that is assumed to be the case.
Mielipiteet omiani - Opinions personal, facts suspect.
They have pulled off this trick once already: they had said they end the liability, while in fact just making the regulations more strict and requiring stupid things like a captive portal where you have to agree to not commit crimes (WTF?!) and mandating encryption of the WiFi.
They had made a press release about "ending" liability for operators, and the whole press copy-pasted it without questioning. Then after a day or so the press started hearing about the smart people who have outlined this to them, and corrected their mistake.
They have played this game once already, and back then they even published a regulation draft. Now we only have the press release, without a draft. Show me the draft or GTFO. I won't believe them until I saw it.
Music worth listening too? What are you, in first grade?
Copyright trolls, who make money by sending invoices to people claiming that their content has been infringed, will not be pleased.
Local rabbits, who have spent the last 60 million years evolving to live in briar patches, are said to be "Inconsolably despondent" at the prospect of being thrown into a briar patch.
Repeal software copyright, because only IP on our specialty is destructive?
In my case I was accused of file-sharing some porn film. It was a false positive but that does not make any difference under current German law, if their program says you were file-sharing then that is assumed to be the case.
Considering what some German porn seems to be, I'd be denying it as well.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
From my understanding, German lawyers without enough work are allowed to (or supposed to?) look for work. Sending copyright complaints out is a fairly easy for them. If you are the receiving end of the complaint, it will cost you about 100 euro to have your lawyer write a letter to deny any such actions.
Will they also end prosecuting people with open WiFi for downloading kiddie porn?
He's in first grayed, you insensitive clod
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
It's actually worse in Germany because you don't have to own the copyright or be authorized by the copyright holder.
All you have to do is forward the money to the copyright holder in the end. So the end result is you get a bunch of rabid companies who do nothing but scan for people committing copyright infringement, then sending demand letters for compensation "acting on behalf" of the actual copyright holder.
No, you're wrong. There is some. I agree the hysteria level is hugely overblown. Much ado is made about sexual content produced consequent to informed consent (actual informed consent, not the "I am 21 or over" absurdist legal conception of informed), but still, there is some. If you go *looking* for it, you can find it. I suggest you don't, however, as the very act of seeing it is likely to start the ball rolling in such a way as to crush the metaphorical life out of you.
Also, yes, definitely a witch hunt. That's because it's a political and pulpit can't-lose football to pick up and run with. Visited your local (or national) "sexual offender" list lately? Very popular, those things.
Is the law engaged in a hostile boarding action? Could the anti-piracy law, be ACTUALLY engaging in real life piracy?
And they do not even need to prove it. They make contact with the ISPs asking who had a particular IP Address at a particular time and . . . profit. If their software comes up with the wrong IP Address or they get the time wrong, it makes no difference. I think the minister who came up with that particular law was the woman who took her "official" car with her when she went to Spain on holiday - along with her driver - and the car was stolen. That happened shortly before an election and her party lost. Not the brightest bulb around.
Mielipiteet omiani - Opinions personal, facts suspect.
Knowing how botched up German laws are typically, they will find a way to mess it up ... maybe through incompetence, maybe through malice because they (or lobbyists) don't want to give up going after "bad people" ....
TTIP will take care of that. :)
"Copyright trolls, who make money by sending invoices to people claiming that their content has been infringed, will not be pleased."
Since when do hosts care what parasites think?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
It is not open. Case close.
With this change, the German conservatives are finally dragged kicking and screaming from the dark-ages of basically no public WiFi. These morons considered it far more important to "protect" copyright holders than having a decent public WiFi infrastructure, and that while claiming that high-tech will make Germany great again (yes, same style as somebody else we all know). The only reasonable explanation for that behavior is stupidity and/or bribery. Fortunately, it is over now after countries like Romania have been found to have far better WiFI infrastructure and it was very likely that Germany would lose a relevant court case in front of the top EU court.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
they decided to be slightly less retarded? germoney, what are you doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more retarded is the way of the future, you will anger angela!
It's called a "typo." Get the fuck over yourself. Better yet, post under a UID so we can inspect your past posting for spelling.