I Did Nothing Wrong, Kids, And Neither Should You
from the we-don't-get-it-either dept
A 67-year-old grandfather sued by the MPAA for up to $600,000 after his 12-year-old grandson downloaded four movies has settled the case, and as part of the settlement, he'll go speak to elementary school kids about the evils of piracy. This is particularly bizarre -- the guy didn't download the movies, an act to which his grandson confessed (though he says he didn't know it was illegal), something known from the outset. Now, as part of the settlement -- for not doing anything -- he has to go do the MPAA's job for them, and tell kids not to download movies. So once again, when the entertainment industry is faced with a case it could lose, it manages to pull out a settlement (at much reduced rates to its claimed damages). But, as usual, there are plenty of questions about this suit. Why should the grandfather be held responsible for something he didn't do? And why should he have to go try to indoctrinate young kids with MPAA propaganda?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
Keep your money outta the government eye. That way you have nothing for THE MAN to take when you stand up and tell him to KISS OFF.
In all fact I have nothing against someone making a profit off of what they do, however I can honestly say and in fact do believe that none of us are interested in making anybodies great grand children rich...except maybe our own :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Outragious
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Grandpa should just get netflix
No movie is worth getting in trouble for. Just pay the man.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Gramps was culpable here
If you lend your car to a friend of yours, and they rob a bank, you better believe they're coming to find you when they run the tags.
This doesn't mean the MPAA isn't full-o-chit with these lawsuits, but the legal side of using the connection for something illegal, is quite settled law.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Gramps was culpable here
--------
And they will talk with you, get the name of your friend, and arrest him.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Gramps was culpable here
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Gramps certainly was responsible.
Caregivers of minors are responsible for everything those minors do while in their custody. Don't like it? Do a better job teaching them right from wrong and monitor how they're learning. Adjust your parenting/caregiving skills if they aren't working. If you don't want to take the responsibility, don't have/care for children.
Just because the RIAA/MPAA are getting outlandish settlements, does not negate the fact that these people are breaking the law.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Gramps certainly was responsible.
It would appear that there are judges who disagree.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Gramps was culpable here
If you lend your car to a friend of yours, and they rob a bank, you better believe they're coming to find you when they run the tags.
This doesn't mean the MPAA isn't full-o-chit with these lawsuits, but the legal side of using the connection for something illegal, is quite settled law.
Bullshit. Would he also get in trouble if someone hacked his computer and used it as a zombie that downloaded movies?
The bottom line is that the grandfather didn't commit the crime he was being accused of and therefore should NOT have to do a damn thing. If the MPAA wants to do anything about this, they first need to charge his GRANDCHILD. At that point if the kid is charged and the grandfather is the legal guardian, he is responsible.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Gramps certainly was responsible.
What if someone broke into his home and downloaded the movies and left without his knowledge? What if someone hacked his computer and downloaded the movies and then served them to the world without his knowledge. This is the main problem with these bullshit lawsuits. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY for the MPAA to prove who was using the computer when the illegal activity occured.
And with all the security issues that are floating around all the time, I'd say there's a much more likely chance of a grandfather's computer being hacked into and used for illegal purposes than there is of a GRANDFATHER actually doing the illegal computer activity.
An excellent way to look at this is if someone steals your gun and kills someone else with it. Are YOU in trouble for the crime someone else committed with your stolen item? NO!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]