I Did Nothing Wrong, Kids, And Neither Should You

from the we-don't-get-it-either dept

A 67-year-old grandfather sued by the MPAA for up to $600,000 after his 12-year-old grandson downloaded four movies has settled the case, and as part of the settlement, he’ll go speak to elementary school kids about the evils of piracy. This is particularly bizarre — the guy didn’t download the movies, an act to which his grandson confessed (though he says he didn’t know it was illegal), something known from the outset. Now, as part of the settlement — for not doing anything — he has to go do the MPAA’s job for them, and tell kids not to download movies. So once again, when the entertainment industry is faced with a case it could lose, it manages to pull out a settlement (at much reduced rates to its claimed damages). But, as usual, there are plenty of questions about this suit. Why should the grandfather be held responsible for something he didn’t do? And why should he have to go try to indoctrinate young kids with MPAA propaganda?


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Comments on “I Did Nothing Wrong, Kids, And Neither Should You”

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12 Comments
A Funny Guy says:

No Subject Given

Well this is what happens when people don’t have the guts to stand up and JUST SAY NO to corporate tyranny.
Keep your money outta the government eye. That way you have nothing for THE MAN to take when you stand up and tell him to KISS OFF.
In all fact I have nothing against someone making a profit off of what they do, however I can honestly say and in fact do believe that none of us are interested in making anybodies great grand children rich…except maybe our own 🙂

PixelPusher220 says:

Gramps was culpable here

He allowed the grandkids to use *his* computer without supervision. If the kids do something illegal, then he’s the responsible party.
If you lend your car to a friend of yours, and they rob a bank, you better believe they’re coming to find you when they run the tags.
This doesn’t mean the MPAA isn’t full-o-chit with these lawsuits, but the legal side of using the connection for something illegal, is quite settled law.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Gramps was culpable here

He allowed the grandkids to use *his* computer without supervision. If the kids do something illegal, then he’s the responsible party.
If you lend your car to a friend of yours, and they rob a bank, you better believe they’re coming to find you when they run the tags.
This doesn’t mean the MPAA isn’t full-o-chit with these lawsuits, but the legal side of using the connection for something illegal, is quite settled law.

Bullshit. Would he also get in trouble if someone hacked his computer and used it as a zombie that downloaded movies?

The bottom line is that the grandfather didn’t commit the crime he was being accused of and therefore should NOT have to do a damn thing. If the MPAA wants to do anything about this, they first need to charge his GRANDCHILD. At that point if the kid is charged and the grandfather is the legal guardian, he is responsible.

Bill West says:

Gramps certainly was responsible.

While I don’t agree with the way the RIAA/MPAA are handling these cases, the grandfather was completely responsible for what his 12 year old grandson did while in his custody. The car loaning thing above is not quite the same, but, if while in your care, a 12 year old were to kill or harm himself or another with a gun in your house, YOU would be held responsible. I don’t want to here “there’s a big difference in shooting someone and downloading a movie.” Yes, there is a difference in what the sentence should be, both instances are against the law, however.

Caregivers of minors are responsible for everything those minors do while in their custody. Don’t like it? Do a better job teaching them right from wrong and monitor how they’re learning. Adjust your parenting/caregiving skills if they aren’t working. If you don’t want to take the responsibility, don’t have/care for children.

Just because the RIAA/MPAA are getting outlandish settlements, does not negate the fact that these people are breaking the law.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Gramps certainly was responsible.

Or better yet, don’t mention the kid did anything! If they can’t prove who did what (which they NEVER CAN), then you are INNOCENT.

What if someone broke into his home and downloaded the movies and left without his knowledge? What if someone hacked his computer and downloaded the movies and then served them to the world without his knowledge. This is the main problem with these bullshit lawsuits. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY for the MPAA to prove who was using the computer when the illegal activity occured.

And with all the security issues that are floating around all the time, I’d say there’s a much more likely chance of a grandfather’s computer being hacked into and used for illegal purposes than there is of a GRANDFATHER actually doing the illegal computer activity.

An excellent way to look at this is if someone steals your gun and kills someone else with it. Are YOU in trouble for the crime someone else committed with your stolen item? NO!

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