MPAA/Sony Pictures Realizes That Shutting Down Muni-WiFi Over Single Download Was A Bad Thing

from the back-up dept

Mon, Nov 16th 2009 4:32pm — Mike Masnick

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.

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Filed Under: muni-wifi, takedown
Companies: mpaa, sony pictures

37 Comments

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Rose M. Welch (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 4:29pm

I think...
...that you have to be a human being before you can really act like one. The industry robots just don't cut it.
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Rose M. Welch (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 4:29pm

I think...
...that you have to be a human being before you can really act like one. The industry robots just don't cut it.
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thublihnk (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 4:33pm

As Jon Stewart would say, "BE A F*CKING PERSON!"
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 4:37pm

I can't wait for the ACTA treaty, sorry, Executive Decision to be passed. And then we can all be kicked off of the internet.

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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Anonymous Poster, 16 Nov 2009 @ 4:40pm

This is what happens when you let lawyers run a company.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 4:56pm

I just wish you guys actually read the story:

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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Anonymous Poster, 16 Nov 2009 @ 5:00pm

Re:
But they shut it down because of the complaint.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 5:06pm

Re: Re:
It's what government entities do. You could probably shut down a few services provided by the government for even a short period just by sending a scary sounding letter.

That's how government functions. "How can we avoid a lawsuit?"

A zero-tolerance policy makes sense, to the government.
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Kingster (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 5:09pm

Re: Re:
^^ This. +1.

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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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 5:26pm

Re: Re: Re:
I'm sorry but 2+2=5.

Every Hollywood accountant knows that.
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Suck it, you dumb chode., 16 Nov 2009 @ 5:27pm

Re:
"The MPAA didn't demand the network by shut down, the County's ITD decided to do it rather than deal with the problem."

"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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kryptonianjorel (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 5:50pm

Re: Re: Re:
I can't stand government! Its one thing if little Billy rolls over and gives in to their crazy demands, but when a city falls to these kinds of things, it makes me disgusted. Don't cities have lawyers? or at least people who can tell them that the MPAA can't pin it on them, let alone PROVE that it happened in the first place?
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Patrick (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 5:54pm

unintended consequences.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:07pm

Re:
Aside from the fact that the MPAA and other such entities have attacked the third party distributors before?

"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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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:13pm

Re: Re: Re:
You miss the point - there was no reason to turn it off. Section 230, lalalala, you know the song, sing along.

They decides to turn it off. Sony didn't turn it off.
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Amazing, 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:19pm

What the ... ?
Since when has Sony or the MPAA ever been concerned with their public image?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:19pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
They shut it off.

Together!

End scene.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:22pm

Re: Sony
Having dealt with Sony, the RIAA, the MPAA, and other "rights" bodies for more than 15 years, I can tell you from a personal perspective that I completely agree with the IT department on this one. Better to shut off a useful service to thousands of people over the malfeasance of one than to deal with the "Rights" bodies for even fifteen minutes.

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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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:23pm

To the troll who keeps inserting swipes at Hollywood into your comments I just have one thing to say to you:

"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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Nina Paley (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:26pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
No, Hollywood accountants know that 2 + 2 = 0. Oh my God there's no money!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 6:26pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
But this strategy worked on the really well and for damn cheap. Hardly any extra man hours except for the towns PR department.

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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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 7:46pm

Re: What the ... ?
I'll be pedantic that say that "Sony or the MPAA" isn't quite right. Now if you say "Sony, et al." in place of that four-letter acronym...
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Sirknz, 16 Nov 2009 @ 8:12pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
No no no, you are all wrong, 2+2=zomfg!!!!!!Piracy!!!!! Burn them! Burn them all with fire now!
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seanthenry (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 8:39pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Sony will not complain to them again so in the end its a win, win.
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mobiGeek (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 8:47pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Yea, no loss whatsoever for the city.
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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mobiGeek (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 8:52pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Sony: We're going to break your legal kneecaps
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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Mike Masnick (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 9:53pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Section 230, lalalala, you know the song, sing along.

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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kryptonianjorel (profile), 16 Nov 2009 @ 10:21pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Exactly. If a terrorist (and lets face it, the MPAA is right, piracy fuels terrorism) drank water from my garden hose, shouldn't the city shut down all water services too?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2009 @ 11:26pm

It makes you wonder.
I wonder if hospitals will have their networks shutdown if anybody use them to download anything.

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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mike allen (profile), 17 Nov 2009 @ 12:49am

Re: Re:
aha so you admit you work for the bastards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
keep trolling bro
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Call me Al, 17 Nov 2009 @ 4:17am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
I always love that. On the one hand they say "You people want everything for free!" and on the other they say "Piracy funds terrorism". Seriously they should just pick one, it can't be free and fund terrorism.
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Hephaestus (profile), 17 Nov 2009 @ 8:26am

Actually ....
The rationale behind SONY asking the town to turn the WiFi back on is more than likely a combo of ACTA, 3 strikes over in the UK, and the bad publicity. I mean they cant have these sort of screw ups, and unintended consequenses showing until after the laws have been passed and its almost impossible to fix.
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Hephaestus (profile), 17 Nov 2009 @ 8:38am

Re: It makes you wonder.
"Public services vital to the community having their connections cut off because of intellectual property laws?" ie a hospital

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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Anonymous Coward, 17 Nov 2009 @ 10:34am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
But the MPAA are the terrorists.
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Jeffrey Nonken, 17 Nov 2009 @ 11:25pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
2+2=5 for very large values of 2.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2009 @ 4:58am

Sony Pictures in particular, quickly realized that this was really, really bad publicity for the company. After the company got bombarded by complaints

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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still laughing, 15 Dec 2014 @ 1:00pm

hacked
This original story made me have a genuine hatred for Sony and five years later. I'm laughing at the Sony hack in a revengeful way.

When a stomping company gets put in their place, what's not to like?
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