MPAA/Sony Pictures Realizes That Shutting Down Muni-WiFi Over Single Download Was A Bad Thing
from the back-up dept
Last week, we wrote about the ridiculous situation, whereby the MPAA had an entire muni-WiFi network shut down because one person using that system had downloaded a single film. The story ended up getting a fair amount of press, and it looks like the MPAA and Sony Pictures in particular, quickly realized that this was really, really bad publicity for the company. After the company got bombarded by complaints, Sony Pictures contacted the town and asked them to turn the WiFi back on, while also claiming it could help the town set up tools to block such things in the future. Of course, as Broadband Reports notes in the above link: "Of course if the MPAA and Sony had approached the network owners like human beings in the first place -- instead of engaging in the kind of scorched earth tactics they've employed for several years now -- they probably wouldn't have gotten the bad press to begin with." But, acting like human beings in the first place isn't the sort of thing the industry does well.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Filed Under: muni-wifi, takedown
Companies: mpaa, sony pictures
Reader Comments
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I think...
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I wonder what I'll do with all that free time?
TIME ISN'T FREE! YOU'RE A STEALER! WE'RE A SOCIETY OF THIEVES!
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Last week, the network – said to be used by hundreds of people – was completely shut down by the county’s Information Technology Department, after Sony Pictures tracked one user sharing a single movie and issued a complaint.
The MPAA didn't demand the network by shut down, the County's ITD decided to do it rather than deal with the problem.
http://freakbits.com/single-movie-download-forces-wi-fi-network-shutdown-1110
The story is very different when you stop be outraged long enough to understand what happened.
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That's how government functions. "How can we avoid a lawsuit?"
A zero-tolerance policy makes sense, to the government.
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The city management didn't want to fight that lawsuit. They just shut the Muni Wifi down and blamed the bastards at the MPAA and Sony. The press picks up the story about the bastards harassing this small town out of muni wifi. Lots of people call Sony and the MPAA Bastards to their face. They don't like being called bastards. Sony and the MPAA fold. No court costs.
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Oh, except for all the citizens that lost internet capability during the outage. You know, the ones who actually are "the city" and who pay for the muni wifi in the first place.
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AC, you think anyone would have turned off anything if Sony hadn't complained? Doubtful.
So, I just wish you could add 2 and 2 to get 4.
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Every Hollywood accountant knows that.
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They decides to turn it off. Sony didn't turn it off.
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Together!
End scene.
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City: Er...what if we shut it off?
Sony: We'll see, we'll see.
Yep, it was the city that shut it off. I'm sure they consulted their bosses in the process. You know, the ones who pay their salaries.
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Huh? Section 230 has nothing to do with this, as it explicitly carves out intellectual property. Section 230 safe harbors are irrelevant here.
You may have meant the DMCA safe harbors which are different than the Section 230 safe harbors, but if that's the case you're still wrong. That's because one of the major differences in the two safe harbors is that the DMCA one does make you liable if you don't take action.
So, despite your claim that there was no reason to turn it off, a reading of the DMCA says the opposite.
Hope that helps clarify things for you.
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"problem" = Huge Fucking Lawsuit that makes people lose their jobs and costs taxpayers millions.
Yeah, they probably didn't want to deal with that problem.
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"Yeah, we've attacked ISPs and websites before despite the problem being specific users, but don't worry, this time is different!"
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keep trolling bro
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Re: Sony
Sony is THE reason I cut off all consumption of Intellectual Property in my household in March for music and video.
We do not watch movies on the web. We do not watch movies from cable. We do not have a working broadcast television. We only buy DVD's from the used market, and sparingly at that. We do not EVER buy Sony movies, and we do not have CD's of Sony acts. I avoid purchasing any electronics with Sony IP in it - in fact, I will not buy a Blu-Ray player for just that reason.
I take nothing from Sony, I give nothing to Sony. Sony does not exist in my world. I find it's a better place so. I do not urge others to follow my course, but for me, it works.
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What the ... ?
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"I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone." - The Greatest Shill of All Time
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It makes you wonder.
Could it happen?
Public services vital to the community having their connections cut off because of intellectual property laws?
No more teleconferencing and VOIP for business that can't stop everything.
What is the economic impact of such laws on companies?
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Re: It makes you wonder.
Thats one I hadn't thought of before I will add it to the list ....
How 14 year old Bobbie was arrested, tried as an adult, raped in jail, now has AIDS, Is going to die, because the Intelectual Property Police got the IP address wrong.
How because of graduated response, poor little Jills VOIP didnt work and she was raped and murdered because she couldnt call for help.
How a poor 90 year old lady named Beatrice lost her house because of she was accused of file sharing and didnt even have and internet connection.
Hospital having its internet access cut off preventing test results from being received causing flesh eatting bacteria to kill a person.
Police station having its internet access cut off disabling 911 services during an emergency resulting in the death of hundreds.
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Actually ....
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Sony used to be a well respected, quality brand name, but given their ignorance, arrogance and incompetence the past decade (everything from the rootkit debacle, to several major recalls, to their "fansite" scams) I think a lot of people are starting to realize that these days Sony pretty much just sucks.
Personally, I try to avoid buying anything Sony (at least first hand) as much as possible. Which is often not an easy task given the extent of Sony's business interests.
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hacked
When a stomping company gets put in their place, what's not to like?
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