U.K. Student Being Extradited To U.S. For Linking To Pirated Shows
U.K. Student Being Extradited To U.S. For Linking To Pirated Shows
Posted 01/13/2012 at 12:31pm
| by Brad Chacos
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Bad news for Brits: you too can be punished for violating U.S. copyright law! Richard O'Dwyer, a 23 year old student at Sheffield Hallam University, created the TVShack.net website, which U.S. officials claim linked to illegal movie and TV show files. Not hosted; just linked. Today, the Westminster Magistrates' Court ruled that O’Dwyer could be extradited to the U.S. and brought to trial for copyright infringement.
On top of being shipped overseas, O’Dwyer faces up to five years in U.S. prison if convicted, the BBC reports. It’s the first case of its kind, and O’Dwyer’s lawyer claims that the student is being used as a “guinea pig.” As a cherry on top, O’Dwyer was never actually charged with any crimes in Britain itself. O'Dwyer is expected to appeal the decision.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency contends that O’Dwyer’s website raked in over a quarter-million dollars in ad revenue before they were able to shut down the site.
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Master__shake
January 15, 2012 at 2:21pm
its really exciting to watch american politics unfold, your country is in the crapper you're into china for 17 trillion dollars, and yet you still try to flex your limp cock in the face of a 23 year old student. lol good fucking luck. and dont come to canada we dont want and/or need you.
Silencer
January 16, 2012 at 1:36am
LOL. Try to borrow 17 Trillion dollars. You can't, we can. Why would that be? (Worth.) LOL! Pussy! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! U.S.A. Rocks, even when we suck ass! LOL Canada, LOL!!! Only thing Canada ever produced of interest to me, (besides ATi, which AMD bought,) is Carly Foulkes. And she's here in America a lot!
Edit: Three, forgot: "Strange Brew", 'eh'? LOL! Oh, and foreigners, don't confuse us hating our President, with hating our Country. Not the same. I hate my President because I love my Country. U.S.A. Rules, oh ya!
Primus
January 14, 2012 at 1:54pm
I this USA has crossed the line. This is not what america is about. There no reason for what is happening to this student. It is unconstitutional and immoral.
I Jedi
January 15, 2012 at 12:34pm
Please elaborate? I hate the bs copyright laws, too, but this kid made money off of linking illegal shit. That's what I felt was just crossing the line.
mhouston100
January 15, 2012 at 1:58pm
Are you joking me? Please tell me that was sarcasm?
You really feel that linking some abstract content, protected not by his own countries IP laws but a foreign country is cause enough to uproot some poor kid from his home, disgrace him in front of an international media (and his family) and throw him in jail for up to 5 years?
You would get a similar punishment for manslaughter or rape.
You sir are a moron... eject yourself from the internet now please.
Happy
January 14, 2012 at 11:46am
Read Ted Kaczynski's "Industrial Society and it's Future". While I don't agree with several of his conclusions, he makes a lot of very good and logical points that are nearly irrefutable. He may have been a murderer but he could 30-50 years from now be regarded as a freedom fighter who killed to wake up the public to the coming police state and Big Brother loss of freedom.
Technology repeatedly forces a compromise from freedom. Over time, these repeated compromises with freedom that technology forces eventually erode all freedom. It's like that idea that Zeno proposed about never being able to cross a set distance because to cross it you'd first have to go half way, then you'd have to go halfway of that remaining half, and then halfway of the remaining half again. Over and over and over, never actually getting to the end of it, although getting super close.
This is what technology does. It forces compromises from freedom over and over and over again until eventually the state we are in is so close to a state of complete non-freedom that it's indistinguishable from a state of no freedom whatsoever.
Read Ted Kaczynski's manifesto. It's free on the internet and it will make you think about technology and freedom completely differently.
warptek2010
January 14, 2012 at 11:17pm
Sorry, I DO NOT need to read the manifesto of some lunatic maniac to know that THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FUCKING UNITED STATES isn't being followed any longer. When a free Democratic Republic is being ruled by judicial and executive fiat and it's citizen state is being turned into a serfdom right in front of everyones eyes do you really need to read the so called prophetic ramblings of a radical leftist murderer???? Wake the fuck up.
Silencer
January 14, 2012 at 12:05pm
The problem isn't technology. Technology is just like guns here, which both protect us from tyrants, as well as empower them.
The problem starts in the thinking. The problem is: Taking the Ten Commandments out of the schools, and then said idiots, electing said idiots. (Liberals.) Solution, educate, that righteousness (gasp,) pays.
Eoraptor
January 15, 2012 at 11:35am
If you want to talk about badly educated idiots, start by looking into a mirror. Calling someone a "liberal" (or a "conservative") like it's a dirty word is exactly the divisive and exclusionary nonsense that leads to absolutist politics. Obviously the binary and absolutist "representation" we have right now (some jokingly call it a two party system) is precisely what doesn't work.
And then crowing loudly about your one true god and how His own religious tenets need to be taught in schools only adds to the Us Vs Them mentality that lets Despots and corrupt corporate interests take over.
So, while I know the current system is definitely not working, I also know that your so-called solution will only make things worse, via hundreds of assorted historical examples going as far back as the Romans imposing Emperor as God on their conquered provinces, and as recently as the Taliban telling anyone with a vagina or without a beard that they should be neither seen nor heard.
kamikaji
January 14, 2012 at 11:04am
This is absolute fucking LUNACY. I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
dgrmouse
January 14, 2012 at 3:00am
IP protection should be entirely removed to civil law. Devoting law enforcement resources to the protection of media interests and prosecution of media threats is horribly wasteful and an embarrassing example of our government's corruption. Beyond that, posting links should not be a crime. I watched a Modern Marvels show on TV that explained how distilleries work - does that somehow implicate The History Channel as criminal?
mhouston100
January 15, 2012 at 2:07pm
Could not agree more.
Whenever an argument regarding politics comes up I always lead with the fact that in my view governments are there to shape the direction of a country as a whole, bowing down to the majority in most cases... not micro-manage every aspect of our lives and imposing arbitrary laws to protect the absolute minorities.
Remove these IP laws and watch the media moguls shape up pretty quick smart when they realise the power is back in the hands of the consumer.
In regards to the History channel - same can be said for this very site, linking and writing about accused crimes and criminal sites, they should also be brought to supposed 'justice' ha ha ha
Where is the line drawn? If Youtube has a takedown notice for copyright material, but Maximum PC has a link to several unrelated Youtube videos, they are still technically linking to a site hosting infringing material... it's just so far rediculous isnt it!
100% agreement here!
yammerpickle2
January 13, 2012 at 10:15pm
I buy my stuff as I want to reward those who made the product and hopefully encourage them to make more. I don’t support piracy, but if he only posted links and there is no proof of his direct piracy this is setting a bad precedent. Posting links is considered an international crime while violent beatings, and murder in the major city I live are business as usual with few resources allocated to investigate and most go unresolved. We are allowing our government become a police state for the benefit of the rich. So if anybody posted any link to any site that might potentially have a copyright infringement you can be hauled off, and if for some reason they can attach terrorist to your profile you now can be detained without trial indefinitely without being charged. By the way one of the characteristics of a terrorist as defined by our government is if you have more than a week’s worth of food. I hope he didn’t have too much food at his home.
RUSENSITIVESWEETNESS
January 13, 2012 at 8:35pm
The RIAA owns the entire world. Pay up, bitches!
Funny how American politicians will let genocide pass unchallenged, but copy a fucking movie and those thieving bastards will move heaven and earth to get a pound of flesh for their campaign backers.
Every last one of them should die screaming.
Joji
January 13, 2012 at 6:11pm
If they're going to jail that guy for linking to pirate sites, then how about they just pretty much jail all the pirates in the world? That's probably more than 80% of the people in this world.
The Corrupted One
January 13, 2012 at 5:56pm
If you don't want to give your money to the "greedy horrible coorporations" give it to charity.
I know you all just pirate everything, blow the extra 60$ on beer, sit down and come on Max PC and bitch about how bad games are getting(because of low budgets, from low sales, from pirating) and DRM which was put there because you pirated in the first place.
dgrmouse
January 14, 2012 at 10:44am
Being prosecuted for posting links to /anything/ online is wrong. Very wrong. It's akin to censorship, which is something that most intelligent people have a severe aversion to. Piracy is just an excuse to implement controls. There is no obvious cause/effect link here. You don't know anyone who knows anyone who has lost a single dollar from piracy. Further, you can't support wars against intangibles (Moore), they don't work: war on drugs, war on crime, war on terrorism, war on piracy, etc.
mhouston100
January 15, 2012 at 2:11pm
Agreed.
It's the same problem as always, the guys coming up with the figures are the guys who have the most to gain from the figures... seems kind of backwards to me!
1 x pirated copy does not equal 1 x lost sale.
Ghok
January 13, 2012 at 11:45pm
Why is it so hard for you believe that rather than everyone here being pirates, maybe there's some of us who actually have legit concerns about someone being extradited and facing serious jail-time over a money making scheme that involved linking to some websites that streamed copyright video? This display of disproportionate force is terribly concerning to most people.
godsdog
January 13, 2012 at 4:36pm
The more they fight the less stuff i buy. I'll never go to the cinema until this bastards keep this up.
Take a lesson from louisck dot net
Biceps
January 13, 2012 at 2:35pm
Next time a Hollywood executive lands in Brussels, they should toss them in jail for human rights abuses - give 'em a taste of their own medicine.
whathuhitwasntme
January 13, 2012 at 1:45pm
One would think that just on prema facia value this case is garbage. Precedent will be set regardless,
either for or against this type of tyranny.
I would think the accused will ,with the help of proper counsel, quickly beat this in court.
They do not have jurisdiction, they do not have precedent, and to be honest, they
pretty much lack a clear violation to prosecute!
Silencer
January 14, 2012 at 9:22am
Usually, I see everything, very clearly. Even 'grey', is 'black and white', to me. This throws me for a loop. It's hard to grasp.
I usually comment first on an article after I read it, if it's an option. I could've on this article, but passed. This is both 'tricky', and 'messed-up', for starters. And also 'frightening'.
I have a 'big-picture' in my mind, starting with the universe, working inward, and I fit everything into it. I look from the outside-in... So my first thought is about:
America's national sovereignty. A concept, lost on today's Americans, that once forgotten, freedom dies.
We have rules about foreign dignitaries, about tourists, about dangerous criminals, about war, and so on. Many of our agreements with the U.N., are "un"-constitutional, eroding our Sovereignty.
Other thoughts flow from there, like; Would I be extradited to Britain for prosecution if I did the reverse from here?!? How do the Brits tolerate that?! Ignorance! INSANITY.
FREEDOM IS DYING, BIG-TIME, *RIGHT HERE*.
More thoughts... figure them out, and preach them until death. GOD and I, will see some of you, L8r.
F'ing INSANITY. Cases against Brits, need to happen in Britain. ?!?!?!? ARGH!
Right or not, (I haven't thought about it yet actually,) your comment helps by adding at least a little clarity, and some points of discussion. Thank-you.
Edit: Yes, the precedent. That's what's terrifying here.
TommM
January 13, 2012 at 2:27pm
"They do not have jurisdiction, they do not have precedent, and to be honest, they
pretty much lack a clear violation to prosecute!"
I guess you didn't read the article. They have enough to actually get them extradited for a trial. Countries - even countries who are friends - don't take extradition lightly. Obviously they have more than enough evidence to 1) get an extradition and 2) press charges.
Silencer
January 14, 2012 at 10:23am
Here's where the confusion lies. (LOL, lies.)
The way I see it, you are BOTH RIGHT. AND THEN, you are BOTH, 'MORE' RIGHT, AGAIN!
He's right, in that they 'don't have it'. You're right, in that they 'do, enough to get it done'! *Scary!*
AND THEN...
He's also MORE right, that, 'it should be quickly beat in court'. (I think it should. Set a precedent against "TYRANNY".) However, you're also MORE right, in that 'they've already gotten them not only charged, but also even extradited'. (Or something like that.) *Scary!*
Confusion is of the devil, shine the light of Truth.
Edit: How did it get this far? Will it go farther? ('JESUS, Thank-YOU for helping us here; Amen.' ...is what I'm thinking.) This is CRAZY.
AntonioGarrison
January 13, 2012 at 2:25pm
Hell they're trying to shut down websites hosted in other countries with SOPA. Why not for piracy. Fucking America World Police.
Silencer
January 14, 2012 at 9:36am
"Hell they're trying to shut down websites hosted in other countries with SOPA."
Really? That's crazy! Wow.
"Why not for piracy."
Right! Man we're so lost!
"Fucking America World Police."
Ya. Reminds me of, 'Live by the sword, die by the sword.' It'll go both ways. Ouch! Ya, right-on. (Look, we need to stop 9/11's, and protect allies, but otherwise, f'ing butt the f out.) Good comment! Semper Fi.
Silencer
January 14, 2012 at 10:55am
I agree with him. And, next, you're getting extradited to Siberia, for that Madonna link, LOL! Get me now?
cownaetion
January 13, 2012 at 6:51pm
Just be glad we're not cutting the hands off people for pirating yet. You want to steal, go to jail.
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