Does The Punishment Fit The Crime? Is Manslaughter An Equivalent Crime To Copyright Infringement?

from the manslaughter-is-about-the-same dept

Via ZeroPaid, we learn of a fun article in the French publication Numerama, which tries to compare the length of time in jail one could get for file sharing in France to a few other crimes (Google translation from the original French). The results are telling, in terms of just how extreme current copyright laws really are. The article includes two lists. The first is of crimes that can get you about the same amount of time in jail. This list includes:
  • Manslaughter
  • Sending death threats
  • Doing biomedical experiments on a person without consent
  • Provoking someone to commit suicide.
  • Theft
  • Escaping prison
  • Forgery
Clearly, sharing a few songs in an unauthorized manner fits with that list. As for the list of crimes that will get you less punishment, there are some surprises:
  • Exposing yourself in public
  • Sexual harassment
  • Domestic violence
  • Identity fraud
  • Abandoning a family
  • Getting a minor drunk
  • Making sexual advances on someone less than 15 years old
  • Abuse and cruelty to animals
  • Destruction of property
Somehow, it's difficult to see how infringement belongs in that first list. But, that's what you get in this day and age.
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Filed Under: copyright, france, punishment


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:26am

    Isn't it odd that theft and forgery are on that top list?

    It would make you think, perhaps...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      E. Zachary Knight (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:27am

      Re:

      Copying is not theft.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Jay (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:34am

      Re:

      Well, forgery is because of the security placed on the dollar by central banks. We're supposed to be secure in our money that we borrow from the Feds for our high debt and...

      Oh, wait...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      JaDe, 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:34am

      Re:

      Perhaps what? Perhaps what?

      Oh no! I think AC's internet connection was cut halfway through his comment(probably HADOPI). Now we may never know what he perhaps thought.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      PaulT (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:41am

      Re:

      Think about what? That the people making the laws still have no concept of the difference between those terms, despite them being completely different concepts? That those people are passing some extremely bad laws at the behest of those who believe they stand to benefit financially, whatever the cost to society?

      I suppose you're right, but it's not a positive thought...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Dark Helmet (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:44am

      Re:

      "It would make you think, perhaps..."

      That the existence of those two independent crimes obviously proves that infringement is not theft, but a separate violation?

      YES! You GOT IT! I'm so proud of you! I would pat you on your head right now if I could, but my priest tells me that would be cheating....

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:47am

        Re: Re:

        Yup, you got it. It may no be specifically theft, but forgery isn't specifically theft either (it's obtaining something through falsehoods / misrespresentation, which is why it is a seperate crime). I am guessing that copyright infringement falls somewhere in there.

        Now, that being said, just like there is petty theft, there could be petty infringement. Clearly, a kid stealing a piece of candy from the candy store doesn't get 20 years in prison.

        It sort of makes you think that this post is a bit of a strawman, comparing "trading a couple of files" with grand theft.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Squirrel Brains (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:08am

          Re: Re: Re:

          Except for very exceptional cases, copyright infringement should be a civil matter and not a criminal one.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          The eejit (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:08am

          Re: Re: Re:

          But attempted statutory rape has less than copyright infringement...

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Atkray (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:12am

          Re: Re: Re:

          It isn't the post that makes the comparison it is you and your peers. See also Gene Simmons Et al.

          The post is pointing out how ridiculous the comparison is.

          It is promising that you see the difference between a kid stealing a piece of candy and armed bank robbery.

          The fact that you acknowledge there could be "petty infringement" tells me that either there is hope for you to actually comprehend the nature of sharing or (unfortunately) more likely you see that backlash against IP is growing and are trying to establish a middle ground before you loose even what you now have.

          I'll be an optimist and hope you are getting wiser.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 12:38pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re:

            Yup, I see the difference. I can also see what it looks like when an adult goes in and empties out the candy factory, or holds the candy factory owners business for ransom.

            However, if every kids in town comes in to take a piece of candy, sooner or later there will be calls to do something, to create a punishment that is enough of a deterrent to stop kids from taking candy. Clearly, the price of the candy alone isn't enough to stop anyone.

            Also, you have to remember that there is a huge difference between criminal copyright infringement, and the merely civil.

            It's sort of a wonderful strawman argument, seemingly the last refuge of the desperate anti-copyright campaigners.

            Hey Mike, how come no comment on hotfile getting ordered to turn over their stats and account information?

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              The eejit (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 1:00pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

              Consider this:

              In France, as the law stands, you currently get less jail-time for attempted molestation of children than you can for copyright infringement.

              If that isn't a fuck-up sense of priorities, I don't know what is.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 1:09pm

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

                ... and if you read the original story, it's only up to 3 years (or a 300,000 Euro fine, but not both)

                Perhaps maybe the real story is that " attempted molestation of children " in France isn't treated as a serious crime.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              JP, 31 Aug 2011 @ 1:51pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

              If every kid in town went in and took a piece of candy, the establishment (factory, store, whatever) would be missing a lot of candy...

              If someone goes in and "takes" a "piece" of music via an unauthorized digital download, remind me again what's missing and from where?

              Please don't go calling foul for other's strawman arguments, when you use a strawman yourself to refute the original response.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              JEDIDIAH, 31 Aug 2011 @ 3:03pm

              Your blatant corporate feudalism

              It's not a strawman by any stretch of the imagination.

              It's a basic element of our Bill of Rights.

              These are the things that the original states wanted added to the Constitution before they would go along with it. They were afraid of the abuses of a large central government.

              They didn't want the feds to trample over rights that they held dear.

              The Bill of Rights isn't just a good idea. It's the law.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              btrussell (profile), 1 Sep 2011 @ 3:17am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

              "However, if every kids in town comes in to take a piece of candy, sooner or later there will be calls to do something, to create a punishment that is enough of a deterrent to stop kids from taking candy."

              If they aren't catching anyone, how will a bigger deterrent work?

              Will every candy store get its own designated cop?

              Or will store owner be told to police his store better or get more staff?

              link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:52am

        Re: Re:

        "YES! You GOT IT! I'm so proud of you! I would pat you on your head right now if I could, but my priest tells me that would be cheating...."

        Careful now DH! you know what goes on inside that head!

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Atkray (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:14am

      Re:

      Am I going mad or did the word think just escape your lips?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    fogbugzd (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:27am

    The MPAA and RIAA think that more draconian penalties are the solution to their business model problems. It is just part of the fantasy world that they live in.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:28am

    You're right - it doesn't belong on that first list.

    Copyright infringement should in fact be on the list of capital crimes, and anyone who disagrees is a freetard!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Jay (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:35am

      Re:

      Before anyone else replies, yes, I think this AC is indeed missing the /s mark.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Hephaestus (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:44am

      Re:

      "Copyright infringement should in fact be on the list of capital crimes, and anyone who disagrees is a freetard!"

      I agree, we can then go after the guys at the newspapers for copyright theft for each image they have pilfered and have them executed. We can use DOJ to extradite the record label exec's in canada for their two decade long piracy spree of mbest of CD's. We can finally see and end to Lily Allen and her unauthorized mix tapes. We can go after politicians that use songs for their campains in an unauthorized way and put them to death.


      I love double edged swords ... :)

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Killer_Tofu (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:48am

        Re: Re:

        I agree about the double edged swords. However, unfortunately those who make the laws are not subject to them (see: healthcare).

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Insider, 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:59am

      Re: Troll

      And this concludes our trolling session of the day.
      Thank you very much for attending.
      We will continue offering quality trolling in the next coming days.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      karel nielson, 31 Aug 2011 @ 1:13pm

      Re: anonymous coward

      yes, because clearly copying a song or movie is just as bad as raping or murdering somebody... those poor starving artists obviously cry themselves to sleep at night if they sleep at all...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    MrWilson, 31 Aug 2011 @ 9:43am

    From the RIAA website:

    "It’s commonly known as 'piracy,' but that’s too benign of a term to adequately describe the toll that music theft takes on the enormous cast of industry players working behind the scenes to bring music to your ears."

    So hijacking, rape, murder, assault, etc. on the high seas is "too benign" a comparison to make with file-sharing?

    Talk about a screwed up sense of ethics.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      JMT (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 2:31pm

      Re: From the RIAA website:

      Wow, that statement is quite amazing.

      A couple of excerpts from the Wikipedia entry on Piracy in Somalia (since it's a topic most people are aware of):

      "Pirates' income from ransom has been estimated to be about 39 million euro (about $58 million) in 2009 and $238 million in 2010. However, indirect costs of piracy are much higher and estimated to be between $7 to 12 billion as they also include insurance, naval support, legal proceedings, re-routing of slower ships, and individual protective steps taken by ship-owners."

      "Somali piracy operations extol significant human cost. Thus in 2010, 4,185 seafarers had been attacked and 1,090 were held hostage, a third of these were abused. According to Reuters, 62 seafarers died out of over 3,500 captives during a four year period having been murdered, or from suicide or malnutrition."


      So dozens of lives and many billions of dollars lost to actual piracy, but this term is to "too benign of a term to adequately describe the toll that music theft takes on the enormous cast of industry players". That's a pretty bold thing to claim. I'd love to hear an RIAA supporter try to defend it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    AJ, 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:03am

    Oh No's!

    "Doing biomedical experiments on a person without consent "

    Damn.... I didn't realize this was against the law. I'm guess I'm going to need a new hobby.... sigh

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:35am

      Re: Oh No's!

      But only in France, you can still work freely in Lithuania Dr.Frankenstein

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Jesse (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:06am

    Making sexual advances on a child is less serious than copyright infringement. Nice priorities.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:08am

    It depends ...

    Mike, I think you are wrong here and that the punishment here does really fit the crime. It depends on a lot of factors, like what song you are sharing.

    For example, if you share a song like "Let's talk about sex" from Salt&Pepper with a 14 year old then it would fall into the category "Making sexual advances on someone less than 15 years old"
    But if you share any song from the Emo genre then you are "Provoking someone to commit suicide."

    Then there is the method of sharing. Un-encrypted bit-torrent is "Exposing yourself in public" but transmitting data according to RFC-1149 could be seen as "Abuse and cruelty to animals"

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Ninja (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:47am

      Re: It depends ...

      LOL! So copyright infringement can be theft after all. If I steal a server containing copyrighted material it is theft after all. I think we should make it simpler and include all other crimes in copyright infringement. Sounds fair. And make it death penalty, our planet is overcrowded anyway so it's gonna be an environmentally friendly law while we are at it =)

      Holy sweet Mary Jesus... I am kidding but I'm astonished to find myself thinking I wouldn't be surprised if some coypright moron agreed with me.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:43am

        Re: Re: It depends ...

        I think this AC was telling a joke. I found it funny at least.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Ninja (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:47am

      Re: It depends ...

      LOL! So copyright infringement can be theft after all. If I steal a server containing copyrighted material it is theft after all. I think we should make it simpler and include all other crimes in copyright infringement. Sounds fair. And make it death penalty, our planet is overcrowded anyway so it's gonna be an environmentally friendly law while we are at it =)

      Holy sweet Mary Jesus... I am kidding but I'm astonished to find myself thinking I wouldn't be surprised if some coypright moron agreed with me.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      I-Blz, 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:49am

      Re: It depends ...

      wooooow, this is ridiculous, especially the thing about the emo genre. The emo genre does not promote suicide, or pain. What ever you say, IT. JUST. DOESN'T. "Eposing yourself means streaking, and wtf is the abuse to animals? For the sake of my reliance in your sanity, you had better have forgotten your /sarc mark

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      BearGriz72 (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 4:33pm

      Re: It depends ...

      I would recommend RFC-6214 myself, as it uses the updated IPv6 protocol, but that's just me.
      ;-)

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ed Gray (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:26am

    is it worse...

    to copy a song or put someone in a cage for years?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:30am

      Re: is it worse...

      Definitely worse to copy a song....

      If you put someone in a cage for years, they are going to have almost nothing to do, chances are they might 'sing a song' while in their cage, and the middlemen could claim the copyright on that and put the next person who copies it in the cage next to them..

      Am I doing this right? trolling can be difficult....

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Ron Rezendes (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:07am

        Re: Re: is it worse...

        "If you put someone in a cage for years, they are going to have almost nothing to do, chances are they might 'sing a song' while in their cage, and the middlemen could claim the copyright on that and put the next person who copies it in the cage next to them.."

        You left out the follow up...when the next person is put in the cage next to them, then, when the original captive sings the middle man can bust them for a public performance!

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ninja (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 10:59am

    Prisoner 01: "I've raped a 14 yr old."
    Other prisoners: "WOW MAN! We are jealous of you!"
    Prisoner 02: "I've killed 153 individuals. All after torturing them brutally."
    Other prisoners: "Holy crap, you are THE MAN!"
    Prisoner 03: "I infringed copyright."
    Other prisoners: "For God sake, have you no decency? You low life scum. Vermin. DEVIL. You should be ashamed of being alive!"

    Somehow I can't picture that scene. It's too much of an inversion of values.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:05am

      Re:

      we can always make our own prison gangs. The Shares, they'll make copies of cigarettes, cocaine and porn mags for the rest of the prison population.

      and we would take care of our own, if anybody messes with us, we'll leave soo many angry comments on his cell wall

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ikarushka (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:20am

    That's because infringers are the major threat to the very foundations of our society. We need good citizens like this one, not copy-terrorists.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DS, 31 Aug 2011 @ 12:33pm

    If I copy Histoire de Melody Nelson, which tier of punishments would I fall under?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ben (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 12:48pm

    What about copycat killers?

    If they infringe the murder technique of another, they're just asking for a longer jail time.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    johnkh, 31 Aug 2011 @ 2:02pm

    how much for grand theft?

    How much time would one get in comparison for simply breaking into a store and stealing all of the CDs and DVDs one wanted? First offense, probably less than for file sharing but I'm actually curious to know.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      The eejit (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 3:37pm

      Re: how much for grand theft?

      Probably about a week, unless you did it during a riopt, in which case, it's 2 years.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Nos482, 6 Oct 2011 @ 11:43pm

    heh

    in Germany you get 3 years for owning child pornography...
    and 5 years for infringements.
    Fair is fair -.-

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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