Posted on 04/14/2011 10:21:35 AM PDT by JerseyHighlander
UPDATE: Lots of coverage of our efforts this week. THE HILL: Groups slam online piracy efforts; TECHDIRT: People Across Political Spectrum Come Out Against COICA Censorship Bill; CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY: Online piracy bipartisan domain; POLITICO: Groups blast Leahy piracy bill.
ORIGINAL: Brian McCarthy ran a website, channelsurfing.net, that linked to various sites where you could watch online streams of TV shows and sports networks. A couple months ago, the government seized his domain name and on Friday they arrested him and charged him with criminal copyright infringement -- punishable by five years in prison.
We just obtained a copy of the complaint (below) that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made against him -- and they don't even allege that he made a copy of anything! Just that he ran what they call a "linking website" which linked to various sites with copyrighted material. Under that sort of thinking, everyone who's sent around a link to a copyrighted YouTube video is a criminal.
This is another shocking overreach by DHS and ICE -- a steamship-era department that's proving once again that it doesn't understand the Internet. We need to push back -- and fast -- before they try to lock up more Americans.
PETITION TO JANET NAPOLITANO, DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND SECURITY, AND JOHN MORTON, DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: There's nothing wrong or illegal about posting a link to a website. This is another shocking overreach by DHS and ICE: You need to drop the charges against Brian McCarthy right away.
Just out of curiosity, could you also find those end destinations with a Google search or with some other search engine? Seems like that would be essentially the same thing but in this guy’s case a static display of the same results. This should be laughed out of court. Why isn’t DHS going after the folks who are actually providing the pirated content?
WTF?! I remember this guy’s website.
He didn’t do anything more than link to other websites.
He didn’t host the content so how is that infringment.
He pointed directly to sites that own the content and other sites that “may” have infringed but to my knowledge he didn’t do it.
Ridiculous!
The difference is you are posting govt approved links.
One has to chuckle that the outraged website is DemandProgress.
Well, they just got a load of “progress” and they don’t like it.
Obama, and those around him are totalitarians.
Is it me, or does this sound frighteningly prophetic. I mean isn’t that what we do here mostly is link to content on other websites?
Is this the precursor for shutting down FR and other sites like it right before the ‘12 elections.
Obozo, about to declare himself King?
Better watch out. That complaint may be copyrighted....
What in the hell does this have to do with Homeland Security!?!?!?
Is Fat Dyke Janet now Obama’s private army.
This is a case of people wanting something under one administration, and not realizing what a different administration could do with the powers.
In years past, the copyright owner enforced his copyright. I guess that concept is too outdated for the new times that we live in.
“Did you really think we want those laws observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them to be broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts you’re up against... We’re after power and we mean it... There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted — and you create a nation of law-breakers — and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system Mr. Reardon, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”
— Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
Well I am pretty sure that the BATFE would murder the accused before bringing charges and that ICE would never catch anyone even if under their nose so it probably isn't them.
If you watc TV then you support that media. Fox Al Waleed is no better. ALL TV supports the regime.
It's amazing how Homeland Security can worry about protecting the entertainment industry by arresting linkers but they don't give a crap that someone can just walk across our open borders with a dirty bomb or whatever else they want to bring in. I feel safer.../s
Even your favorite, Dancing with the Stars?
bump
That scenario is a bit more gloomy than I would have imagined.
On the plus side if Obama declares himself King and shuts down the internet and we rebel against him we might be able to get the French to push through a UN resolution to setup a no fly zone over the US and an US embargo until Obama leaves, maybe Obama would even support it as he seems to think the UN elected him.
Did you hear someone else talk about the Obama king possibility? Like on radio?
WTF does that have to do with homeland security? was he linking to Al Qaeda sites?
I think it sucks no matter what administration is in at the moment.
Oh whatever would we do without Janet Napolitano to protect us from web links.
*BARF*
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