London Police To Set Up Special Copyright Crime Police Force

from the hollywood-gets-its-local-police-force-in-london dept

Tue, Dec 18th 2012 9:48am — Mike Masnick

It's really amazing how various governments around the globe fall sway to the bogus Hollywood talking points about how much copyright infringement is "harming" their business. Rather than recognizing that the situation is one where Hollywood's failure to adapt a modern business model is the biggest issue, or that (at best) this should be a civil issue, law enforcement groups have had no problem doing Hollywood's work for them. The latest? The City of London police are setting up their own "intellectual property crime unit" to deal with copyright infringement -- specifically looking to go after dowloaders. In other words, something straight out of Cory Doctorow's Pirate Cinema book, which happens to be our book club book this month.

The effort is being led by business secretary Vince Cable, who has sounded more reasonable on the subject in the past. But now he's setting up a private police force for Hollywood right inside the London police? And, even worse, he's pretending that this somehow encourages more creativity?

"Our creativity, our openness to and talent for innovation, is a key pillar of our return to robust growth. So it is right we work to create the environment in which creative, innovative businesses of all shapes and sizes flourish," Cable said in a speech at The Big Innovation Centre in London.

"A vital part of this is making sure the intellectual property landscape encourages and cements success and growth. The new vision for how we support businesses and consumers is central to achieving this."

Openness to talent and innovation isn't spurred along by giving one industry the ability to use the police to stop people from making mashups and being creative. It does the opposite. It creates fear among creative types and drives them further underground, rather than helping to add to creativity and culture. This seems like a big step backward for a group that had promised to take a more evidence-based approach to copyright reform.

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

Filed Under: copyright, copyright cops, london, vince cable

92 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Ninja (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 9:37am

The effort is being led by business secretary Vince Cable, who has sounded more reasonable on the subject in the past.

Till a filthy huge sum of money was shoved up his arse to change his mind.

In any case I foresee they'll be astonished at the rapid increase of jail population in London after they set up this shit. Either that or VPN usage will skyrocket.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

bob, 18 Dec 2012 @ 9:56am

Here here! Artists are people too...
As long as we grant the artists the right to create intellectual property, we need to allow them to get the same protection from the police as the other property owners. They should be able to call the cops just like anyone else.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 9:57am

Well, now that there is something worse about copyright somewhere, the corrupt will ensure we have it everywhere soon.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 9:58am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
too bad for you the law and history disagrees with you. Guess what, IP isn't property, and infringement isn't a crime.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:01am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
It's not actually property, dude, it's just a buzz word. You can't have the same type of protection as property, because its intangible! You don't protect secrets the same way you protect a castle.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

out_of_the_blue, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:02am

"talking points" more effective than I thought.
"It's really amazing how various governments around the globe fall sway to the bogus Hollywood talking points about how much copyright infringement is "harming" their business."

Here I thought it was money and influence.

BTW: yet another example of how "copyright" is evolving. Whatever your notions of what's right, you need to recognize what's happening: The Rich are buying "laws", and now getting tax-payer funded special police. Overarching lesson to learn is that The Rich don't play fair, complete myth.

Is anyone here really certain that Mike "Streisand Effect" Masnick...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
Doesn't get a little thrill every time I post this link?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:04am

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
too bad for you the law and history disagrees with you. Guess what, IP isn't property, and infringement isn't a crime.

Queen Phara called from the prison laundry; She disagrees.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Chris-Mouse (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:04am

Encouraging creativiny and innovation
Too bad for the record industry that the largest area in which creativity and innovation will occur is in finding ways to bypass the laws they bought and paid for.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:05am

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
You don't protect secrets the same way you protect a castle.

You mean like prison time instead of boiling oil?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:05am

Re: "talking points" more effective than I thought.
In other words, regular old corruption that has to be weeded out as usual.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:05am

Our creativity, our openness to and talent for innovation, is a key pillar of our return to robust growth. So it is right we work to create the environment in which creative, innovative businesses of all shapes and sizes flourish," Cable said in a speech at The Big Innovation Center in London.

To do this we will stamp on anyone who tries to build on existing works.

/s
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:06am

The thought police have arrived. Protecting thoughts for everyone.

/s
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:07am

since when have the people been able to trust and believe what any political party says? you always know when they're lying cause their lips are moving! Cable seems to be turning into as big a two-faced, entertainment industries arse licker as Mandelson. yet another example of how to commission a governmental report and then totally ignore it!! what a prick!!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:10am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Prison time would probably help you keep your secret.. Especially if it was solitary confinement :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:10am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Will you change your tune when your kids end up in IP prison?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:12am

Well putting riot police in the home is a good start. What artist's children really need, though, is mandatory infringement insurance for computer and audio equipment.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:15am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
In your theory of copyright was correct, most artists would be in IP prison, as most borrow from the culture around them.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Zakida Paul (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:16am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
You are nothing more than an idiot, please die.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
DannyB (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:17am

One question
Will the copyright police treat infringement equally when it is the copyright maximalists (aka dinosaurs) doing the infringing?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Cory of PC (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:19am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
bob, I already have the right to create... and none of it is intellectual property. And I don't need protection. I am happy with people looking at my stuff without the fear of being watch by some nosy people

And if I were to call the cops, it'll be to get rid of people like you. Thanks...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:20am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
BWAHAHAHAHA!

Oh, wait. You're serious.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Yeah, no. It's not tangible and it's not exclusive. So it's not property.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:23am

people in the UK are being subjected to massive cuts, including with the police force and the government spends a fortune creating another branch to crack down on file sharing! what the hell has the entertainment industries done to deserve this extra help and for free? what the hell hold has it got over the world's governments?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Cory of PC (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:24am

Re: "talking points" more effective than I thought.
Uh Blue, words are influence. Ever heard of a silver tongue? If someone has this, then their words can affect them and then they can win people over on this side. Money is just an added bonus.

And no. Why should he care about that link? It's more or less annoying than... whatever you're thinking about.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

bob, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:26am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Exactly. Property is what the law will enforce and Jammie Thomas is finding out just what it means to listen to forums like this for legal advice.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jameshogg (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:28am

Great.
Maybe if this momentum continues we can have folks within the U.S. government and MPAA/RIAA arrested for stealing the intellectual property of innocent MegaUpload users (wait, scrap that, just say property). And I don't mean stealing in the sense of simply making a copy... I mean actually depriving the original owners of possibly the only copies they had.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

bob, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:30am

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Can you name any kids in prison? Any at all? Everyone complains about the settlements from the RIAA that are priced in the thousands of dollars, but they're fairly reasonable compares to other punishments. People in the US are in jail for life for shoplifting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/opinion/sunday/california-horror-stories-and-the-3-strikes-law.htm l

And the people with the horrible judgements all decided that they wanted to stand up against what are really clearly written laws that have been enforced for decades.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

bob, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:32am

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Uh, no. The copyright law is written tightly to apply mainly to verbatim copying. This question has been debated for hundreds of years: copyright law isn't a problem for anyone who follows the grade school rules on plagiarism.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:32am

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
But wait, what if we were to *redefine* property, in such a way that people will attach their feelings and association with the old meaning to something else? That should work, right? People are morons, right? :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:33am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Was Ms. Thomas arrested by the cops? No.

Were the police or FBI involved in her case? No.

Her case was handled through the civil justice system, not the criminal justice system.

Infringement = civil offense
Theft = criminal offense
Infringement =/= Theft
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

bob, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:34am

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
And no one is taking away your right to give away your work. Go ahead. I don't see why you're hurt in any way if I sell mine for $100. Heck, you're better off because you look more generous in comparison.

But I have rent to pay and medical insurance to buy. There are projects that can only be accomplished when artists are paid well enough to be able to devote themselves full time. A good way to fund this is to split up the costs among the consumers, something that copyright does reasonably well.

If free is the only option, only the rich will be able to devote themselves to art. Are you one of those 1%?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Cory of PC (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:35am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
But isn't there a difference between plagiarism and copying in general?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

bob, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:36am

Re: Great.
Where are these innocent Megauploaders? The EFF kept advertising for them. If there really were so many of them, I would think they would have their poster child by now. But sorry, Grandma doesn't use Megaupload. The people who paid were looking for unlicensed content.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:37am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Plagiarism is when you take someone else's work and put your name on it.

Copyright infringement is simply making an illegal copy without the copyright holder's consent.

If you're going to throw out phrases such as 'grade school rules', you shouldn't make such an elementary mistake.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
merf hurdler, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:38am

Re: To do this we will stamp on anyone who tries to build on existing works.
unless of course you are Disney then every one of your Princess films can be made from existing works. After they are made then you can lock it up for ever.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:42am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Lol, your argument is because there are other situations where there are bad laws that can punish people disproportinately, we need more such bad laws.. is that right?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:42am

Re: Re: Great.
There were at least 20,000 employees of various departments of the US government that had accounts with Megaupload. I guess none of them want to come forward incase they lost there job.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Cory of PC (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:42am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
... Well I feel like I don't need any help from the government in giving me a monopoly to the stuff I created. And $100? Dude, I'm giving my stuff away for free! That's WAY better than what you're offering (that is if you're offering anything).

And HA! I got a ton of projects myself and I don't need money to get those done? Why? Because frankly, why should I be paid to sell out my stuff when I can create my stuff when I want without anyone giving me a schedule to work with and how they want my product to be? I do like money, but I don't necessary need it for my projects because they can be done for free. I can write for free and I can draw for free. You're offering up your services for $100 and I haven't seen a single thing outta you.

You're funny. Really, you are. I haven't made a single cent yet in my trade, and I consider myself devoted to the arts more than you are.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:43am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
No you got it all wrong. Copyright is for all those cats who only had one hit song and didn't get fucked over by the record company. Just ask John.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:44am

Re: Re: Great.
They already found their poster child(sports highlight guy), and most people don't care enough to volunteer to sit through years of court proceedings.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
JEDIDIAH, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:46am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Avoiding plagarism only requires citing your sources.

Citing your sources won't help you avoid a derivative works suit. If anything, they will give the relevant robber baron a map and a flashlight.

Avoiding the academic definition of plagarism also won't insulate you from being accused of creating a derivative work.

Your notion of copyright law is missing a few bits.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:47am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
What are you joking? That is just plain not the case. There are tons of successful lawsuits that have nothing to do with verbatim copying. Even the mickey mouse "character" is covered by copyright. No specific implementation, just the general character. That just being one small example. Copyright covers whatever the holders want it to.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Beta (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:47am

it'll cement the landscape for growth all right
"A vital part of this is making sure the intellectual property landscape encourages and cements success and growth."

Am I the only one who gets a mental image of a couple of big decrepit old trees surrounded my acres and acres of fresh concrete? Is it possible that Mr. Cable has the same thought, at least subconsciously?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
JEDIDIAH, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:47am

Re: One question
Of course not, that's just crazy talk.

Tort reform for the rich, crime and punishment for the poor.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:48am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
According to the NZ prosecution in the Megaupload case when they were accused of theft for taking copies of the hard drives of data out of NZ and sending it to the US they argued that data was not property and so by taking a copy of the data out of the country it was not theft because the data was not property. Well in that case and arguement that data is not property then data is not property and by copying the data cannot be theft.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:50am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Heck, you can infringe copyright just by giving honest search results.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:50am

Re:
This is no doubt all funded by yes you guessed it the copyright marximalists.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 10:56am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Which is why sampling is copyright infringement, along with 30s videos of kids dancing to poorly recorded songs, or fans fiction written to fit an authors world. Copyright is now being so broadly interpreted that it threatens the foundations of culture.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:01am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Why would free be the only option? People pay me to build stuff because they need stuff built, not because of some horible government rules. What are my clients going to suddenly stop needing stuff because of copyright? Only stuff that has already been built, and remaking that crap is a horrible waste of my time anyway.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:04am

I went looking for an article a guy wrote up for a machine repair procedure. His website closed down for personal issues. Only one guy made a copy of the procedure but he wouldn't share it because of the author's copyright. So part of me is not upset that if content creators want to protect their works until they disappear from lack of exposure. But we lose works for no good reason than not understanding what fair use can provide the public.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
gorehound (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:04am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Screw You !
I am an Artist and I do not Support this or the MAFIAA in any way.
I am one of the oldest punks in Maine and have been playing in Bands since 1972 when I was 16.
Look up Big Meat Hammer or The Lynn Rebels which are two of the present day bands I do.
Anyone is welcome to my music for free.Pay me if you got money.
Fuck The MAFIAA !
Jordan Kratz...........BMH and Lynn Rebels both agree with this.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
gorehound (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:05am

When will some hackers finally open up the Dirty Laundry of the MAFIAA ?

Millions of us out here want to see that whole Industry Wikileaked to the World !
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:06am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Um, NinjaVideo? Hello?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:07am

target .... 1000 copies of article sent
Send Vince THIS email
Copy of an article. (prepared for copying)
http://pastehtml.com/view/cm3uztnr6.html

cablev@parliament.uk
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:09am

Re: Re: Great.
I was one.

I stored all my legally-backed-up copies of my files, including music from Jamendo that was fully CC-licensed and free.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Rikuo (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:10am

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
The FBI weren't accused of "theft". They were accused of mishandling key evidence, of taking copies of hard drives belonging to Megaupload and Kim Dotcom and taking those copies out of the country. It's not the theft of property/not property they were being charged with, it's the mishandling of evidence.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:12am

Re:
No, we're losing our cultural history because of these cultural extinctionists, because they're so obsessed with the "horrific" idea that someone else might be able to monetise the work they helped fund, for the most part.

That's the most insane part of all this: the vast majority of these entitled rat-bastards is that they're trying to skim off of everyone, including the actual creators.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
slick8086, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:22am

So, did you know that the "City of London" is different than London, England, and has it's own separate police force? The City Of London is run literally by corporation. So this is not the London Police, it is City of London Police. Very different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrObZ_HZZUc
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jeff_Vader_runs_the_Deathstar? (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:24am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
yawn... Here in the colonies we've been doing the bad law thing for decades.

Wake me up when they hit the 21st century and start with their classified interpretations and secret courts...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:25am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
ps. replace need with want if your art isn't useful.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
haiku, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:25am

Minor correction
The City of London police are responsible for law enforcement within the square mile that is the City of London i.e. not the Metropolitan Police responsible for the balance of the UK:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London_Police

In short, they'll be the police force who will be tasked with arresting City bankers illegally downloading porn
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Michael, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:25am

How many children will be raped while this task force does its work? Surely there are better places for London to spend its resources.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:44am

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
That is exactly why IP should die, so this doesn't happen ever, why is that every schmuck that gets a granted monopoly from those in power seems fit to go after the general population?

It always ends the same though, with the monopoly destroyed.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
crade (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:47am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
How do you know they don't? Maybe if you had stricter I.P. protection laws, secrets like this wouldn't be stolen by the public's criminal ears.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:54am

Re: Minor correction
So the copyright police idea is to distract them from looking for crime carried out by the financial industry.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 11:54am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
"The search warrants used by police to raid the New Zealand home of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom have been ruled illegal. In addition, the data that was sent to the FBI was ruled to be unlawfully obtained." http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-search-warrants-ruled-illegal-by-high-court-120628/

In my book anything that is unlawfully obtained is theft.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:02pm

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
FBI Did Not Steal Megaupload Evidence Because It�s �Digital�?
http://torrentfreak.com/fbi-did-not-steal-megaupload-evidence-because-its-digital-120607/
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:03pm

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Well if you want to put it that way, when people infringe on copyrights nobody is also taking away your work or your ability to profit from it.

I don't see why you're so hurt in any way, why can't you work your fans? is that so hard?

Why try to stop copying?
To copy something people actually need to do all the work and come up with all the resources necessary to make it happen, why should you get paid?

What would you say to a person that knocks on your door with a blueprint and says he owns the blueprints and you have to pay him for having build his home?

I would politely say "f. off"

Now that people say that to you, you don't understand? and claim ignorance? that is a bit disingenuous isn't it BOB!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:06pm

Re: Re: Great.
Fighting is a resource intensive activity.

Why fight when you can just ignore the law?
Specially an immoral, useless monopoly law?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:08pm

So much for the last article about IP being a hard sell for diplomats...
All it takes a nice, brown envelope or two..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:17pm

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
I hate to tell you, but most creators first works are created without any financial support from publishers or the general public. The exceptions tend to be the 1% when they propose writing their biography, when they can get massive advances. They usually manage to get government support for their favorite cultural activities, like play and operas, you know the ones they attend so that they can be seen to be highly cultured.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:32pm

Re: Re: Minor correction
No, it's to give the City banker their content, so that the banker can actually be arrested and imprisoned.

..Which sounds way more rational in my other voice.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Milton Freewater, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:33pm

Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
" we need to allow them to get the same protection from the police as the other property owners."

I agree, Bob, but much of the time they're talking about creating radical new protections that other property owners DON'T have.

It is unclear from the Guardian article exactly who the police plan to "go after" and how. Downloading without permission is legal. We all did it just now. So "illegal downloading" can't actually be the target.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:37pm

Re: it'll cement the landscape for growth all right
Along with a pile of business types and politicians trying to figure out why they are dying.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Milton Freewater, 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:39pm

None of this helps
I refuse to purchase access to any movie produced by Voltage Pictures because of their lawsuits against Bittorrent users in the US and Canada.

www.voltagepictures.com

Will I ever watch any off their movies? None of your business and I don't know. But I will never pay for them. That is for sure, and that's the golden snitch.

If the London police help me expand my list, well, that's their business, I guess.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
silverscarcat (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:51pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Illegally taken down, iirc
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jameshogg (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 12:53pm

Re: Re: Great.
If you knew the first thing about basic law, the question you needed to ask at the start of your drivel was "where are all these GUILTY MegaUploaders?"

I have nothing more to say to you.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 1:01pm

Re:
Within the square mile, finding anybody not their to work is very difficult. It is almost all offices, and services like pubs and cafes.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Rikuo (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 1:07pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
"In my book anything that is unlawfully obtained is theft."

So when I download a movie off of a torrent against the copyright holder's permission, and against copyright law, it's theft?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 1:09pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
And that's where your book is wrong. Theft is a subset of unlawfully obtained things.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Some Other Guy (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 1:12pm

Typo
'dowloaders' for 'downloaders'
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Nastybutler77 (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 1:32pm

This is another milepost on the road to the "fictional" England of V For Vendetta. Scary.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Milton Freewater, 18 Dec 2012 @ 1:35pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
"In my book anything that is unlawfully obtained is theft."

"So when I download a movie off of a torrent against the copyright holder's permission, and against copyright law, it's theft?"

No, because downloading a movie off of a torrent isn't unlawfully obtaining something. It's (usually) redistributing something without permission, which is sometimes unlawful and wrong but has nothing to do with theft.

And you'd better believe content creators want you to understand this. Don't listen to the trolls here.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 3:19pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
...which was only discovered, I might add, after everyone caved on the false charges.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2012 @ 3:25pm

Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
It's called copy-theater.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
John Fenderson (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 3:45pm

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
Copyright is a different issue from the right to sell your work.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Andrew F (profile), 18 Dec 2012 @ 8:21pm

I dunno ... I think it'd be great to live in a place with a special police task force for copyright. Because clearly such a place doesn't have more pressing concerns, like murder, rape, arson, burglary, harassment, substance abuse, vandalism, and drunken hooliganism. Right?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Dec 2012 @ 12:57am

I always use cement to make things more flexible.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
PaulT (profile), 19 Dec 2012 @ 1:01am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
That definition needs just one small refinement - if you unlawfully obtain *the only instance of something* it's theft. Stealing a car, blah, blah is theft because there's only one instance of that car and it creates tangible problems and costs as a result. Torrenting a movie is infringement or illegal distribution, but it's not theft since the owner still has the original copy and suffers no tangible losses or costs.

So, the seizing of the Megaupload servers represents theft because tangible objects were taken in violation of the law, causing tangible costs and losses, and some of the data on those servers represented the only copy in existence. You can't steal something if the owner still has the original copy, but the data was stolen in cases where it was removed illegally without another copy left in the hands of its owners.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Niall (profile), 19 Dec 2012 @ 4:40am

Re: Re: Re: Here here! Artists are people too...
You have to pay for medical insurance? Well then, move to a more advanced country (such as Canada) where you won't have to!

More advanced countries also give a better balance between welfare moochers (i.e. content 'creators' and especially their gatekeepers) and the public beneficiaries.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Niall (profile), 19 Dec 2012 @ 6:20am

Re: Minor correction
Not the balance of the 'UK' - the Metropolitan Police only cover Greater London - we'd be a bit annoyed if they tried to claim jurisdiction!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Dec 2012 @ 11:06am

Re: "talking points" more effective than I thought.
Whatever your misguided comments may actually mean, the British Police should have no part in acting as Hollywood's private army. That is NOT what they are for.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Dec 2012 @ 11:09am

Money in who's pocket?
The UK police have no business acting as Hollywood's private army. That is NOT what they are for and this should not be part of their brief.
[ link to this | view in thread ]