Karaoke Forums

Up until this very post of yours, when did this topic thread suddenly become all about SC?

I brought SC into it because THEY are the ones most interested in suing pirates. Well, I keep saying it, if you want to stop piracy, you have to go after the SUPPLIERS!! If they are truly interested in killing piracy THEY should be buying hard drives from these guys, and then, having the proof, sue them out of business.

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

And this topic wasn't about suing or Manufacturers suing either. It was about someone who believes someone else (another retail store?) was selling an illegal HD. This wasn't even about SC or SC's motive/s in wanting to sue anyone. You were the one who brought up SC here in the first place.

well, the suggestion was to report the seller.

SC is the only place to report it to (as we have gone over in many threads where the legal agencies have blown off every one who reports it saying it's not a high priority)
[/quote][/quote]
no results from the only place you can report to (SC).
it was unfortunately a natural progression.

_________________
Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

Remember, that for every one illegal karaoke harddrive, there are about 100,000 people pirating MP3s, movies, and software through illegal copies and trading sites. Karaoke is only a very small % of the overall problem.

Every so often, the FBI does make an example out of someone, but I for one am glad that we don't have thousands of FBI agents and tens of thousands of federal lawyers using our tax money to chase down IP thieves. It would be a never ending battle that would just fill our jails and backruptcy courts. (Can you say "war on drugs" model?)

If you prosecuted everyone involved in illegally copying or buying/using a single karaoke/mp3 track, movie, or piece of software, you'd have to prosecute about 1/2 of the population, and that's only because senior citizens and babies don't know how to do it (yet)! Really, we are in a transition period where almost everyone involved on both sides understands that the model has to evolve. It'll work itself out.

_________________
C Mc
KJ, FL

All of those music/movie pirates (includes karaoke) are doing felony level work. Copyright infringement in the governments eyes are considered a felony - like it or not.
Then on top of that if they sell their illegal drives, music, movies & make over a certain dollar amount overall could be considered grand theft/grand larceny - another felony.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

They put that ex-baseball player in prison last year for selling drives; correct? Why did they stop after nailing one guy?

incorrect, it was for not paying taxes on what he made selling the drives.
would have been nice though

_________________
Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

Then why, Lonman, when SC catches someone with stolen content, they don't report it to the feds for prosecution? Is it against the law or not?

But it is their property that is being stolen. If the thief complies then it is up to them to let it go or not.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Ah, the Al Capone thing. As long as they pay taxes, they are in the clear. I don't even have to ask what is wrong with this picture, do I??

Thanks for the clarification.

And I think that's the bottom line issue with me for Sound Choice. If they would put the thieves in jail I have to think that would have more effect on piracy than the route they have taken. I understand financially it would not be beneficial to them but I don't get a company catching someone stealing their property and then turning them into subscribing customers and putting them in business against their other customers..

you are looking for an answer that does not exist.
at no time (in the last few years) has SC said this was to combat piracy, this was only to recoup money. Kurt himself stated that more than once. "Suits Drive Sales".

_________________
Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

In SC's defense, they can not drive a criminal prosecution and that is what is needed to put people in jail. I assume the most they could do is to file a criminal complaint, provide the City, State or Federal prosecution team with evidence and provide testimony.

On the other hand, the burden of proof is greater and there is more scrutiny of the evidence. I have a feeling that is not something SC would prefer to have happen.

I do very much agree that one guy going to jail would have done 1000 times more to curb this stuff than all the suits SC has filed combined.

Well how the heck does anybody get prosecuted for stealing anything? Somebody steals your lawnmower with your custom logo on the side, you see them mowing their yard with it and you go to the police and say, that's my lawnmower, see my logo on the side? They took it from my garage and I want them arrested and to get my lawnmower back. I bet it works.

We'll it works because my goal is to get my lawnmower back, not to sell them a new lawnmower...

SC cooperated with the FBI in the Bill Bene case and the Sonny Freeman case, both of which resulted in convictions. I think that should disprove your "feeling." We've offered to cooperate in other cases, but it doesn't seem to be a priority for law enforcement.



Because of the length of time required for the FBI to act even when the evidence is strong, the FBI's general disinclination to investigate in the first place, and the amount of money to be made, most of the people who are doing this stuff have no fear of jail time, and the people who buy it have no chance of jail. One (more) guy going to jail isn't going to make a difference.

Bad analogy.

It's more like a commercial lawncare service advertises in all it's literature that it uses only premium John Deer lawnmowers, when in reality they use cheap (virtually free) Chinese knockoffs with the John Deer logo on them.

John Deer is rightfully upset because the commercial lawncare service is using the John Deer brand and reputation to make money and sell their services when the commercial lawncare company never actually bought anything from John Deer.

That's what we're talking about here. John Deer can certainly go after the Chinese company supplying the cheap knockoff lawnmowers, but their real gripe is with the jacka** piggybacking on their brand and reputation without ever buying their product.

I definitely support SC's moral ground, but they are pretty shady on their investigation and prosecution methods.

_________________
C Mc
KJ, FL

There is the bolded side of it too, Rick, so I'm picking up what you're putting down. But, from a Law Enforcement side of things, your lawnmower case is much easier to see and prove. SC walks in to a DA's office and says they produce Karaoke and there is a bar in their district that stole it, the first thing the DA will probably do is scratch his head about how someone produced Karaoke. You have the receipt for the lawn mower and probably registered it. That's an easy one. But a DA would have to investigate both sides of things. Is SC on the up and up? I am not saying they aren't, I am just saying a DA will have no idea and will have to question and investigate everything. They would have to learn all of these ins and outs before they put the case together. That's a bunch of time. Time they would much rather spend getting your lawnmower back for you..

The Feds, on the other hand, have a task force just for this kind of thing. But I don't know if they have the jurisdiction to go down to the "local bar" level. Certainly, I would think they could handle someone selling drives all over the Nation. And I still question why they are not doing anything about it. And they may very well might be doing something about it. They can run those investigations for a few years, then hit all at once. THAT would take care of a bunch of problems!

Jim,
Did you initiate those complaints or simply cooperate?

Of course John DEERE would be very ticked off if a lawn care company used another product and rebadged it "John Deer".

Private prosecutions can be done but they are expensive to do. Police investigations are usually brought about in two ways, someone makes a complaint or an officer observes or comes across an offence. As with just about everything else complaints are dealt with on a priority system and of course budgets.

_________________
You can be strange but not a stranger