UK Police Issue Copyright Takedown Over Speed Camera Photos
from the incentive-to-create? dept
Another day, another example of copyright being misused. This one, sent in by JJ, involves police in the UK demanding that certain speed camera photos be taken offline as copyright violations. They're apparently pissed that a guy who used the photos to prove that the cameras are faulty has posted his story (with the photos) online:"The content of these photographs are the property of Sussex Police and publication of them is a breach of copyright. They should be removed from the website forthwith. If they are not removed further action may be contemplated."The real issue is that the guy who posted the photos is one of a growing number of folks who have discovered that, if you know a little bit of math, you can often show that the speed cameras were flat-out wrong.
Copyright is a gov't granted exclusive right solely for the purpose of creating incentives for works that otherwise wouldn't be created. I can't see how that applies to police speed camera photos at all -- which seem to have a different incentive to "create," whether it's to make the roads safer (the official explanation) or to raise money from speeding tickets (the real reason). Neither one of those requires copyright at all. And, of course, posting the images hardly seems like it should be a violation of copyright. The whole thing is obviously being used to stifle free speech because the police department doesn't like it, not because there's any sort of reasonable copyright claim.
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Filed Under: copyright, police, speed cameras, uk
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But copyright never infringes free speech, right?
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This guy needs to move to Tiburon...
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Then inform Gaylord if you get a ticket.
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find out how much the 40% of the camera tickets net for the city annually and offer to pay the city more than that amount for a year with no cameras.
speed cameras are about revenue, plain and simple. you want the cameras gone, you have to provide more revenue to the town than the cameras do.
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Don't remove the photos
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Strike a blow for freedom
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Re: Strike a blow for freedom
paintball gun
+1 for a paintball gun. Throw in a ski mask for bonus points and extra protection.
All honesty, this is just flat out silly and frankly a waste of the UK tax payers money to even issue copyright warnings, let alone an actual suit.
So when do millions of these photos get stolen out of the backseat of some boneheads car? It is the UK after all - wont take long I am sure.
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So what would happen
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Re: So what would happen
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If the funding
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Clean that camera!
So it is your duty as a good citizen/subject to attach some steel wool to the end of a long stick, and clean the camera's windows. To do a better job, wet the steel wool with ammonia to clean plexiglass, and dental flouride treatment gel to clean glass windows.
>:D
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Pay Back
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The city council members are elected, aren't they?
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My comment
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Welcome to the machine
just pay the fine like a good robot.
Shuffle along your merry way,
do not look and have a good day.
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