No Cost Too Great for Copyright

[ Thanks to Brendan Scott for this link. ]

"First, the Coshocton Tribune reports that, a public service wifi system has been shut down because a single (unidentified) person is accused of illegally downloading a single movie over it. Second, CNet reports that a pub in the UK was "fined" £8,000 (probably a settlement rather than a fine as the article refers to it as a civil action) because someone downloaded copyright material over the pub's open WiFi network.

"The whole issue here is one of the climate of fear which the legislature (aided somewhat by the courts) have created around copyright and copyright infringement. This climate of fear creates extreme risks for honest, law abiding citizens who find themselves in a copyright dispute and consequently creates a millstone over the necks of innovators. Outcomes such as these may well spell the death of open wifi."

Complete Story

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