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U.S. Pursuing a Middleman in Web Piracy

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Carl Court/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Richard O’Dwyer at a courthouse in London. He started a Web site that prosecutors say helped people find pirated content.

By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Published: July 12, 2012

"Richard O’Dwyer, an enterprising 24-year-old college student from northern England, has found himself in the middle of a fierce battle between two of America’s great exports: Hollywood and the Internet.

At issue is a Web site he started that helped visitors find American movies and television shows online. Although the site did not serve up pirated content, American authorities say it provided links to sites that did. The Obama administration is seeking to extradite Mr. O’Dwyer from Britain on criminal charges of copyright infringement. The possible punishment: 10 years in a United States prison.

The case is the government’s most far-reaching effort so far to crack down on foreigners suspected of breaking American laws. It is unusual because it goes after a middleman, who the authorities say made a fair amount of money by pointing people to pirated content. Mr. O’Dwyer’s backers say the prosecution goes too far, squelching his free-speech right to publish links to other Web sites.

...In the last two years, the Obama administration has closed about 800 Web sites suspected of piracy, including those that stream new Hollywood films. In a widely publicized case, the Justice Department has sought to extradite the operators of Megaupload, a site that let users anonymously share movies and music, on criminal copyright infringement.

...Mr. O’Dwyer’s story began in 2008 when he set up his Web site, TVShack.net, which allowed users to search for and link to other sites, including ones that the authorities say showed pirated movies and shows. Because the domain name was registered in the United States, it fell under the ambit of American law. The government shut down TVShack.net in summer 2010.

Mr. O’Dwyer was unbowed. TVShack.net had been growing in popularity, and it made about $230,000 from advertising over the course of two years, federal prosecutors say.

full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/techn ... iracy.html?

are they finally going after overseas thieves? that's nice to see.

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

I think it's funny. Why is it that the U.S. has the right to tell people in other countries that they have to follow U.S. law?

I'm sure that there are lots of Americans that are breaking laws of other countries everyday.

What if China were to make a law that says only food made in China can be call Chinese Food. Would all the American restaurants have to change their names?

I'm sure that this guy will fight extradition tooth and nail and from the sounds of it he has backers that agree with his methods.

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I like everyone when I first meet them. If you don't like me that's not my problem it's YOURS!
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet

Yet most of the hard drive sellers live in the US and seem to continue to operate uninterrupted.

wonder if the court fees are cheaper over there?

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

Well the US media is making a big deal over the Taliban keeping Afgan children from getting the Polio vaccine, this in response to drone attacks.
Funny.......it's ok in the US to keep children from getting the Polio vaccine........
Just like when we fought communism all over the world, but it was ok to be one in the US.
Just like we fight for Democracy all over the word......but we are far from being one here in the US......
Don't be a bully, don't spank your children......but our Government doesn't hesitate to spank or bully tiny countries........
Do as I say......not as I do........ it's the American way....