• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Online pirates could face 10 years in jail

Status
Not open for further replies.

Monocle

Member
Absurd. Imprisoning someone for 10 years for a nonviolent crime? For a crime that doesn't even deprive anyone of saleable goods? That's utterly insane and flat out immoral.

I'm sure this will fail, but still.
 

Arthrus

Member
The government said tougher sentences would act as a "significant deterrent".

Do they have statistics to back up this notion? I'm pretty sure tough sentences has never been a deterrent to crime.

EDIT:
...industry bodies, funded by top studios and record labels, have paid for staff to work in police stations with the sole brief of investigating copyright crime.

You can straight-up pay to hire police that enforce laws you care about? This is literally buying the enforcement of corporate interests. I can't believe that it's legal.
 

WaffleTaco

Wants to outlaw technological innovation.
I always thought that strict punishments for stealing internet entertainment were a bit absurd. Why not just make them pay the price of whatever it is, and be on their way. Movies are a bit different though since they technically go through an different process before getting into consumer hands.
 

Symphonia

Banned
Uh why in the world would you admit that/why are you downloading these films illegally? Most only cost a few dollars anyway to rent.
Are you now going to tell me you've never illegally downloaded, or been tempted to illegally download, a film, song, or game? I'm willing to bet that at least 80% of this forum's population have, at some point, downloaded something illegally.
 

disco

Member
Wait - who is behind all of this? What is you download copyright material that no one cares about like weird mid-90s techno or a cult film?
 

disco

Member
What's going on with the UK lately? Your government seems to have gone completely bonkers.

And the weird thing is, from what I can tell, the general population are happily accepting it. Itching that selfish, narcissistic, material, xenophobic, patriarchal little itch as the housing ladder and consumption as spectacle become people's sole pro-occupation. What happened to state-sponsored experimentation and security? Oh wait, you can only have that if you have a Trust or have sold your deceased parents house... What were were once essential freedoms to people's happiness and well-being have become only available to those with inheritances (the neo-feudalists) and those in banking (the neo-imperialists).
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
how many online pirates have gone to jail for 2 years? That'll help me understand whether raising it to 10 years makes any bloody difference at all.
 
As this is targeted at heavy downloaders, I think it's safe to say I can carry on downloading my usual one or two films a week without worrying about facing jailtime. Still, pretty fucking ridiculous if you ask me. A decade in jail for someone downloading films and a year or so for a rapist? Good job, Britain, so proud to call you home.

I thought this was aimed at uploaders and distributors?
 
What's going on with the UK lately? Your government seems to have gone completely bonkers.

'We' voted in a bunch of criminals, morally-bankrupt shitstains, toffs and general cunts because people who are already financially well off thought they'd get slightly more money while pretending they don't see the most vulnerable people suffer for it. 'I've got mine' mentality at its finest.

Also the opposition leader looked funny eating a sandwich one time.
 

Enco

Member
Imagine the feeling of your life, your career, family, friends, all being torn away as you get sent off to jail for downloading Avengers Age of Ultron.
 

Symphonia

Banned
While it is highly likely that the majority of people on neogaf have illegally downloaded a textbook, movie, anime, song, etc. It is against the ToS to actually admit it. I think your comment was pretty innocent but you might want to edit it.
I've edited my post accordingly.
 

Gaogaogao

Member
fzrtozl.jpg
.


holy shit
 

Highwind

Member
It's so fucking terrible I instantly knew this would be a UK thing before even entering the fucking thread.

Fuck this government to hell.
 

BibiMaghoo

Member
What's going on with the UK lately? Your government seems to have gone completely bonkers.

Some scared-to-leave-the-house tabloid believing folk voted for this party of asshats, and now everyone is like "who voted for these clowns?", including the people that voted for them. Normally in politics the masses take the lesser of available evils, but this time the UK majority voted for the opposite. Kind of like going all in with nothing in your hand, a nationwide "fuck it, we are already lost". Except we actually had a good hand but forgot about it because we were busy laughing at all the rich men talking politics while we watch football.

On the positive side, Scottish MP's are owning the place left and right, and it's pretty funny to see it happen, while the Tories scramble to lock them out of votes, and Wales just sits back and waits for the victor to either claim equal rights, or keep those that already set them apart.
 

Shantom

Member
Even for people uploading it's ridiculous.

I don't really think so. Remember, it's the maximum sentence. This law will be aimed at those who make millions out of encouraging millions of people to commit (admittedly very minor) crimes.
 
Wait, did OP not read his own OP?

I don't understand the overeaction. From what is written there is trying to make the following two things consistent:
-Leaking a movie early and uploading online
-Bruning a load of DVDs of said leaked movie and selling them
What is so bad about that?

All I can think is a flimsy argument along the lines of Mr.pirater is a big fan of DisneyMarvelousFox and wanted us to enjoy Avengers 7 extra early and because of that we jumped on the hype trian and went to see it three times in 5D (DON'T YOIU $eE yuou made MORE MONBEYYYY). Also mr.pirater and wasn't making any money (except the ads on his site but those "cover costs") so he isn't a bad guy like the person selling Avengers 7 is.

Also downloading is not distributing unless it is p2p so stick to DDL if you're worried Cameron is going to imprison the entire country and save the UK solely by building prisons named redemption workhouses (I remember someone convinced it was Obama that shut down megaupload and was coming to get everyone because prison labour is cheap in USA).
 

BibiMaghoo

Member
What is so bad about that?

The punishment does not even remotely fit the crime. Here are some crimes that have lesser maximum sentences:

Female circumcision - 5 years
Racially-aggravated assault - 7 years
Abandonment of children under two - 5 years
Dealing in firearms - 5 years
Failure to disclose information about terrorism - 5 years
Administering drugs to obtain intercourse - 2 years
Incest by man with a girl under 13 - 7 years
Sexual penetration of a corpse - 2 years

I could go on.
 

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
Last time I checked, shoplifting was a crime.

v Sutcliffe [1995] 16 Cr.App.R.(S.) 69 B6-13I06
Convicted of theft. The defendant was concerned with others in stealing a lorry and trailer with a load of cigarettes worth £683,000. "Premier league crime merits premier league punishment". 4 years.

R v Flynn and Flynn [1993] 14 Cr.App.R.(S.) 422 B6-13I01
The defendants removed furniture from the home of an elderly couple and installed inferior furniture which they were to buy for a large sum. The original furniture was recovered. The victims were intimidated but not specifically targeted. 6 and 8 months.

R v DENNARD AND DRAPER [2000] 1 Cr.App.R.(S.) 232
The first defendant was convicted of conspiracy to steal, and the second defendant pleaded guilty to six counts of handling stolen goods and one of obtaining property by deception. The defendants were involved in "ringing" stolen cars. 33 vehicles were stolen and their identities were applied to other vehicles. Not the worst. 5 years.

Source

Also anything less than £200 is considered low-value so I'm sure stealing the same CD from a shop rather than downloading it will not get you 10 years in prison.
 

Zoned

Actively hates charity
I don't really think so. Remember, it's the maximum sentence. This law will be aimed at those who make millions out of encouraging millions of people to commit (admittedly very minor) crimes.
Yeah and meanwhile sex offenders and other criminals get away with way lesser punishment than that. Seems fair.
 

Shantom

Member
Source

Also anything less than £200 is considered low-value so I'm sure stealing the same CD from a shop rather than downloading it will not get you 10 years in prison.

Did you look at the post I was replying to? I wasn't claiming shoplifting a CD carries huge penalties, I was just pointing it that it still counts as a fucking crime.

I'm also certain that downloading a CD will not get you 10 years in prison. Time for this quote to be posted yet again in this thread:

It's not, the police are clear to point out, aimed at small-time downloaders

Yeah and meanwhile sex offenders and other criminals get away with way lesser punishment than that. Seems fair.

Yes, what I wrote in this thread clearly means I support low sentences for sex offenders. Thank you for exposing that. If you think that other laws are insufficient to prevent what they are meant to prevent, then attack those laws.

Since nobody has read the article, here's another line from it:

Ministers have launched a consultation on increasing it to 10 years - bringing it into line with copyright infringement of physical goods.
 

popo

Member
Since, AFAIK, nobody in the UK has ever faced criminal charges when downloading for personal use - does it really matter if it is 2 years or 10?

Civil cases have happened but criminal is reserved for people selling - in which case I have little sympathy. I think people have been charged for hosting torrent and streaming sites - which I do think is heavy handed - but usually they just shut them down.
 

LoveCake

Member
You can get less for murder here in the UK especially if you use a car as the weapon.

jF2FK0M.gif

HF64E4G.gif


There isn't enough jail cells for the current number of criminals let alone pirates.

Just need to kick up a fuss to where the server was located you uploaded/downloaded from as that is where the crime was committed, & then fight extradition stating you won't get a fair trial.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom