DOJ to Prosecute File Swappers

Special to ZDNet News ^ | August 20, 2002, 2:27 PM PT | Declan McCullagh

[LibFreeUSA]

"...stealing is stealing is stealing...", I guess if I purchase something and give it away to you for free, and you 'take' it, then you are "stealing". Forget the fact that I did not make any profit from it.

Seems like the folks that luvvvvvv Govt intervention, just can't get enough of it!

[Amerigomag]

Remind me to stop accepting birthday and Christmas presents without a federal defense attorney on retainer.

[j271]

Look for a large influx of Britney Spears fans at Camp X-Ray.

[lawdude]

"I guess if I purchase something and give it away to you for free, and you 'take' it, then you are "stealing". Forget the fact that I did not make any profit from it.
"

Perhaps you should take a few minutes and read up on the copyright law. Will you give me your next week's pay check?

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Look for a large influx of Britney Spears fans at Camp X-Ray.

According to Ashcroft, they're "not that innocent."

[sigSEGV]

Morons. Just another avenue of infinite prosecutability for any given citizen.

[Revolting cat!]

Already posted. For the record: there were three (about) Church Ladies there reminding all about the Ten Commandments.

[sigSEGV]

So what you're saying is that the millions of people downloading music off the Internet need to go to jail in order to prop up a dying industry?

[aruanan]

"...if the value of the work exceeds $1,000"

How many software or music programs exceed $1000 in value?

[July 4th]

B-b-b-but....Hollywood always told me to rebel. Now they're mad at me for it?

[j271]

This has "unlawful combatant" written all over it. Serves these Eminem loving punks right! ;-)

[usadave]

I wonder if it would be considered "stealing" if a person recorded a song that was playing on the radio?

[texson66]

Wow! With all the problems the US is facing, the DOJ goes after file swappers??? I guess we must not have a problem with illegal immigration, organized crime, drugs, etc. Things must really be slow inside the Beltway this week! Oh, wait, the file swappers might be impacting the livelyhood of small companies like Sony and "talented"(read media-hyped) performers! It's almost as sad as the Baseball robber barons and the multimillionaire players (a pox on both their houses!) /RANT Off> I feel better now...

[sigSEGV]

How many software or music programs exceed $1000 in value?

Don't ever loan your 100-disc CD changer to anyone.

[Principled]

I wonder if it would be considered "stealing" if a person recorded a song that was playing on the radio?

LOL... but true!

[Revolting cat!]

I think the law includes something called "personal exception" which allows you to record off the radio. But once you make that tape available to a friend or stranger, you are a criminal deserving a harsher penalty than O.J. Simpson received for a double murder. Plus you are already paying a tax on every cassette you purchase which goes to subside the starving Big Five record companies. Perhaps lawdude can educate us on the fine points of the current copywright law.

[NRA2BFree]

Perhaps you should take a few minutes and read up on the copyright law. Will you give me your next week's pay check?

Can't give you my next week's pay check because the government already gets it. Talk about criminals! They're the biggest crooks of all. This bunch of idiots think the government can fix the problem? Hah! That'll be the day!!!

[aruanan]

Don't ever loan your 100-disc CD changer to anyone.

Each CD is a separate "work" and is less than the $1000 value limit per "work".

[j271]

Wonder if Ashcroft will use TIPS snitches to rat out 14-year old file swappers?

[LibFreeUSA]

"Perhaps you should take a few minutes and read up on the copyright law. Will you give me your next week's pay check?" - No!

But how'bout we trade my old '45rpm "Nothing But a Heartache", for your "Love Me Tender" - oopps! Nahhhh, we might both wind up with "Jail House Rock"!