p2pnet - rss feed: NCSC, RIAA comic: The Case of Internet Piracy
p2pnet news view RIAA | Freedom | P2P:- America’s National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has an intriguing project in hand.
Its Justice Case Files, described as a series of illustrated novels designed to, “educate the public” about how US courts work, how judges make decisions and how courts are accountable to the law.
Guess what the first one is all about?
Called the Case of Internet Piracy, Part 1,”tells the story of Megan, a college freshman charged with theft for downloading music ….”
A college freshman charged with theft for downloading music, eh?
Might the NCSC have had a little ‘concept’ help from Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony BMG and their RIAA, do you think?
“Megan Robbins was caught illegally downloading and sharing music files from several Internet websites without paying for it over a period of three months,” says the first RIAA (oops, Sorry, NCSC) panel.
It goes on (and we promise we’re not making any of this up) »»»
My client understands that she violated the law and is admitting her guilt. [NOTE: The ‘defense’ lawyer doesn’t say what ‘law’ has been ‘violated’ or what she’s guilty of.] She is an honor student with no criminal record.
At eighteen, she was a freshman in college with a full scholarship to a top university.
All of this is now in jeopardy. And why? because earlier this year, she was introduced to the concept of file sharing by a classmate. Having spent time talking with Ms. Robbins I can say that she greatly regrets her actions and will do whatever is necessary to make things right.
The judge asks, “Mr Williams, based on the facts of this case and the testimony you just, what penalty does the government seek?”
Government?
Surely this is an RIAA case?
Or is the US government now acting for Vivendi Universal (France), Sony BMG (Japan and Germany), EMI (Britain), and Warner Music (US) up front instead of in the background?
“We seek the maximum penalties would accept a fair and just verdict, your honor,” replies ‘Mr Williams’.
Of course.
“We do not want to minimize the impact of these crimes on the industry and artists, who are the victims,” he states sternly. But, “we also recognize Ms Robbins’ financial situation along with lack of criminal record.”
So we’ll merely make sure her studies are severely curtailed, and we’ll also take a page out of Apple’s book by turning her into a public spectacle.
Says Megan »»»
Your honor, while I have no money to pay steep fines, I will accept whatever punishment court sees fit to impose.
I also apologize to the bottom of my heart. I’m truly sorry and it will never happen again.
The judge sentences her to a three-month deferred jail sentence, along with three years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
But that’s not all.
And, “In lieu off a fine, you would instead be required to take part in a publicity campaign against the illegal downloading of music.”
[Wonder whose idea that was?]
Adds Megan, “one thing is for sure —- I’ll never download music without paying for it again.”
To say the ‘comic’ is simplified to the point of absurdity is a considerable understatement.
It’s moronic.
Apart from all the other omissions, it neglects to point out that despite the frequent use of the word ‘crime,’ no crime was committed.
Megan may have broken Big 4 copyrights. But at absolute worst, it’s merely an infringement. And it’s a purely civil transgression, not a criminal matter.
Nor does the NCSC mention although in the region of 40,000 people have received RIAA subpoenas, the Big 4 enforcement organization has only succeeded in bringing one case to court, and even that’s on the verge of being ruled a mistrial by the very judge who heard it in the first place.
Far from being an “illustrated novel” to, “educate the public,” the NCSC comic book is yet another blatant example of how the corporate entertainment cartels are able to abuse official American agencies and use taxpayer money to raise purely commercial issues to the level of serious crime at the expense of far more important matters which, as a direct result, are left by the wayside
If you’d like to comment on the comic, or contact someone about it, try:
dgager@ncsc.org
757-259-1864
(Thanks, Gloria)
Jon Newton - p2pnet
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August 18th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
This has to be a joke
August 18th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Now here is some ‘literature’ deserving of a book burning
August 18th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
It’s Captain Copyright all over again.
August 18th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Don’t copy that floppy, version 2.0.
Only gayer.
August 18th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
If the RIAA and MPAA had it their way, this is what would be happening. Wow they are absolutely desperate!
August 18th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
That was shockingly bad! It’s moronic, but is it them, or do they think that Jon Doe is the moron here?
They’ve told outright lies (filesharing = crime etc) and have contrived and linked it with this unlikely story of state house possession and high-flying goody two-shoes student being threatened to lose it all and now regrets everything she’s done and was actually *glad* to have been caught? Seriously?
Who the fuck is gonna buy into this drivel?!!
Sorry for the rant Jon, but this overtly blatant corruption just got to me this time. It’s the way they are getting away with telling blatant FACTUAL lies in an official government produced document that anyone can check and damn well will be checked. This is outrageous.
Look at the very last page of the pdf: “The NCSC is an *independent*, non-profit, blah blah blah…” Yeah, sure. How *much* were they paid? I gotta know.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:20 am
That one is just BEGGING for parody! But… wait… We have to PAY for this comic?! Oh, well then, I hope it will show up on The Pirate Bay…
August 19th, 2008 at 2:52 am
@MaxEd: that leaflet sure *sounds* like a parody, doesn’t it? A very bad one.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:17 am
ohh boy, I can’t wait for NBC/USA to throw out a “ripped from the headlines” case for Law & Order, maybe it will be a SVU, if only she hadn’t gone online to d/l music, she wouldn’t have been in that chat room provided by that illicit music sharring software and then and only then she wouldn’t have been rapped…
I can see it now!
August 19th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
As usual the moronic corporate liars who pay for this garbage are only deceiving themselves , we know the law and how misleading this storyline is, can I suggest this group of recording-industry -lacky-halfwits pay for some education.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
You are wrong, Jon. It is not the government it is the county proecutor’s office. But wait! You are right! It is both!
August 19th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I’m worried that this CRAP will be given for free to grade schools across the nation, and the idiot schools will happily accept them because they cost nothing and help fill the library.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
@ Paulus:
Yup.
Not only but also, “She is charged with theft at state level”.
Really?
When was file sharing officially designated as ‘theft”? And by whom?
Cheers!
August 19th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
@ ‘I’m worried that this CRAP will be given for free to grade schools across the nation’
And that’s a very real concern. It’s already happening with an MPAA garbage comic — the nauseating Lucky & Flo thingy - http://www.p2pnet.net/story/15134
As I said then, “Shades of Canada’s ludicrous Captain Copyright, Lucky and Flo, Hollywood’s two super sniffing sleuths, are to become a comic book heroes, turned loose to pollute the minds of kids with corporate copyright crap on behalf of Time Warner, Viacom, Fox, Sony, NBC Universal and Disney.”
Cheers!
August 19th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
It is very funny to think that anyone like the RIAA or any large corporation had anything to do with this book. It was more of a “death by committee” effort, trust me!
Also please don’t write to the person listed above. She is the contact for ordering copies, and had no more role in the writing of this than did the RIAA. So, unless you want to order copies, leave her alone.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:09 am
I note Anne your concern does not seem to extend to sharing the correct contact information with anyone here, how …expected.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
@ Anne
I’m now in touch with Lorri Montgomery, director of communications & marketing, National Center for State Courts.
I’m sorry if your friend was on the receiving end initially, but I’m sure she was smart enough to pass them on to whom they concerned, ie, Lorri and her bosses.
Cheers!
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Basically it was done by committee — that committee was not NCSC staff. I do not know who they were, thus I did not hand out contact info. Lorri M. is definitely your best bet (and yes she is also a friend of mine).
August 27th, 2008 at 11:17 am
One of the judges listed on the first page Howard “Skip” Chessire from Georgia has more to worry about than “internet piracy”:
In Atlanta, anyone who keeps up with the news knows that Judge ‘Skip’ totally corrupted.
Just google “Howard Cheshire Cobb GA”
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2008/08/12/cobb_court_sex_investigation.html
http://justiceforwandaspann.com/Chesshire.html
Perhaps the other names listed should be investigated.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Creating a duplicate, a copy certainly is not theft. The printing press did the same thing when it came out. Old media is dying but they are going to fight for the almighty dollar. No matter what the cost. Propaganda pansies.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I sent the woman a email…
hope she forwards it
Hope public preasure helps force a retractio nfrom this organization
or maybe… they’ll print a thing on REAL cases say a documentation on the intermitent cases againsnst piratebay.org