Copyright Cops Are Getting Serious

 
By Sherri October 28, 2006



Jack Black calls video and music pirates "douches." The FBI calls them jailbirds.

A case in point is the recent sentencing of 23-year-old Grant Stanley. He's been sentenced to five months in prison, home detention and $3,000 worth of fines for his affiliation with Elitetorrents, a private BitTorrent tracker. (Note: The site has been shut down. The connection times out, but on Goggle there's a notice of the closing).

According to a report in Torrent Freak, the ruling is the first BitTorrent-related convinced in America.

"Stanley pleaded guilty earlier this year to 'conspiracy to commit copyright infringement' and 'criminal copyright infringement.' He is one of the three defendants in the Elitetorrents operation better known as "Operation D-Elite."

The Stanley case further shows how serious copyright holders are about getting a handle on the Internet and its incredible ability to facilitate piracy. Stanley, unfortunately, is a young man who is paying the price while serving as the anti-copyright violation camp's living message.

It's more than unfortunate that a 23-year-old man is the one in that position, but his case and others like it should serve as good reminders why sites like YouTube are scrambling to take down copyrighted materials. The fact of the matter is the stuff belongs to someone else.

So, in the words of Jack Black, "Don't be a douche ... stop piracy!"

Related:
Keep It Legal
Music Videos Causing Piracy Concern
MPAA Fights Piracy by Spying