No he hasn’t...
He parked his car on private property to steal internet service.
1. It’s Trespassing.
2. It’s Stealing Bandwith
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
Get a grip...please.
Actually, it’s more like someone taking advantage of the air conditioning seeping from the building to get cool or standing outside a concert hall where you can hear the music.
Nonsense. The shop has *offered* free wifi access to the public. He stole nothing. He was merely using a service that they plainly offered to anyone that wished to use it.
Sounds like he was parked on the street in front of the store, which isn't private property.
1. It’s Trespassing.
If that is the case, then charge him with trespassing, but that isn't what he is charged with.
2. It’s Stealing Bandwith
How can you steal something that is free?
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
Except for the sneaking over the border part.
You are scary.
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
Give him amnesty!!
No he hasn’t...
He parked his car on private property to steal internet service.
1. It’s Trespassing.
2. It’s Stealing Bandwith
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
There are a lot of good decaffeinated brands on the market these days................
1. It’s Trespassing.
2. It’s Stealing Bandwidth
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
He parked in a public parking lot so it's not trespassing. They didn't password protect their network and they broadcasted the signal beyond their store. Outside the store was a sign that simply said "FREE WI-FI". It didn't say anything about buying anything first. The store is to blame and this guy got screwed because of a lousy law. There was a CNN video about this last week, but I can't seem to find it now.
Y’all are SCARY with your statist, near fascist views. Real scary. Especially the first 2 that I pinged.
And it pizzes me off because it’s people like you that give real conservatives a bad name. When you see the deranged lefties talking about how the right wants to totally control their lives... well they are not talking about this kind of thing... and they are totally nuts... but it’s this kind of thing that makes it harder to dispute their claims.
People like you really scare me. As you should. Every decent, law abiding conservative should be scared of people like you.
The video I saw showed that they had a sign in the window saying “free wi-fi” - They did nothing to say you had to buy anything for the “free wi-fi”. The owner never asked him not to use the wi-fi.
If it said “free wi-fi for customers I could understand the crime. The guy may have bad manners and be a cheapskate, but under the circumstances was there a felony? I think that is doubtful. This is the product of a run amuck cop and a prosecutor who fails to exercise proper prosecutorial discretion. In the video the cop was giddy about charging this guy and the prosecutor acted like they had to prosecute.
Stupid if you ask me. Sooner or later they will make everything a crime and I will get rich.
Good point, but the punishment for using an unprotected WIFI seems to be cruel and unusual when compared to that of prosecution & punishment of illegals.
I don't see that in the article. It just says he was in his car. He might very well have been parked in a public space.
2. It’s Stealing Bandwith
Well if the store advertised "Free" then no, I don't think it is. If they advertised "Free with purchase of coffee, then yes.
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
I find it quite different. I think this fellow could legitimately claim to have not known he was breaking any law. It is a grey area. When you pay a coyote $600 bucks and spend three days and nights avoiding "la migra" you can't claim to have inadvertently broken a little known law in an evolving area of technology law.
WTF? The WIFI was free! Unless theres a line of demarcation outside the store that states in a sign that anyone not within this peremeter cannot use internet, its like saying that the air around my shop can only be breathed in by paying customers!
1. It’s Trespassing. 2. It’s Stealing Bandwith
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
I'm interested to hear your views on using restaurant bathrooms. When I'm traveling, I sometimes use Starbucks or McDonald's bathrooms without buying anything. Is this akin to crossing the border illegally in your view? I'm impressed if you've never "stolen water" & "eroded perfectly good urinal puckwidth" without a purchase. I don't remember if I've ever left an "anchor baby" in one of those restroom visits though.
FWIW, I have never broken this Michigan law. But I'm a bit concerned that this is a felony.
Have you ever turn you car around or short-cutted across a parking lot of a business where you were not a customer?
To paraphrase rwilson99:
You drove your car on private property to steal use of paved convenience.
1.You are TRESSPASSING.
2.You are STEALING use of a free convenience which was provided for paying customers. (paved lot)
You are no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
Please turn yourself in to the local authorities immediately or you can pay your $400 fine to me.
That is not in the linked article. You apparently just made it up because it sounded good. The article says that he parked in front of the coffee shop, not that it was private property.
It’s no different than someone coming over the border illegally.
Wow, yeah man, now that you point it out I can see that they are, like, practically identical.