Let's Join WIKI Founder and Protest the Extradition of a UK Citizen to U.S Prison

[john1444]

A female friend of mine posted this on FB http://act.demandprogress.org/act/odwyer?source=fb and i thought we should do as much as we can to help since we are all liable if the dreaded SOPA law is passed.

Is U.S trying to make the web obsolete, i still wonder what we will be able to do if this law becomes a success.

Henceforth, we should all thread carefully so that the quest for survival will not become the end of our lives.

 

[ShadeDream]

I don't feel sorry for him at all, when you go into a niche such as this you should know what you are getting yourself into. I agree that the extradition is ridiculous and it shouldn't happen, we don't want a one world government, but other than that all I can say is that it's his own fault for being stupid. You don't start a movie site when it is pretty much illegal to do even though the UK laws allow linking. This is comparable to being a third party and linking those that want to buy guns illegally to those that sell guns illegally, you're not selling anything, you just have contacts but if the buyer or the seller got caught you would be sentenced to because you participated in the crime and didn't do anything to stop it. The same goes for those movie sites. It may all be happening in the UK, but most of the content was from the US. Otherwise everyone would start creating movie sites just to make a few bucks.

 

[Qball522]

I do however love the good ol' USA for thinking we should control the WORLDS views on different matters.... lovely...

 

[Roparadise]

He needs to be extradited to the U.S. so it can set a precedent that just having a .com website doesn't make you liable under U.S. laws

 

[JimmyWong]

He didn't heed their warnings. He should've cashed out when it originally got pulled. But what did he do? Got greedy. He lauched a clone site on a .cc domain days later which lasted for 5 months. Basically, a big F-U to the US gov.

Yes, the extradition is ridiculous, however you could say he's in this situation because of his own greed and arrogance.

 

[Crono]

The United States is full of crap and trying to own the world. How come they don't worry about more important things like taking care of the economy in their bankrupt country. Then they wonder why everyone hates them, I predict their empire will soon fall and I sure can't wait.

 

[dannyduberstein]

I don't feel sorry for him at all, when you go into a niche such as this you should know what you are getting yourself into. I agree that the extradition is ridiculous and it shouldn't happen, we don't want a one world government, but other than that all I can say is that it's his own fault for being stupid. You don't start a movie site when it is pretty much illegal to do even though the UK laws allow linking. This is comparable to being a third party and linking those that want to buy guns illegally to those that sell guns illegally, you're not selling anything, you just have contacts but if the buyer or the seller got caught you would be sentenced to because you participated in the crime and didn't do anything to stop it. The same goes for those movie sites. It may all be happening in the UK, but most of the content was from the US. Otherwise everyone would start creating movie sites just to make a few bucks.

Are you serious? How is it his own fault for being stupid?

Please remember he's a citizen of the United Kingdom not the United States. Why should he even care about another countries laws.

Pretty much illegal isn't illegal especially not in his country and if linking where truly such a heinous crime as you make it out to be then Larry Page and Sergey Brin would be doing life in prison.

The whole issue is that of Sovereignty. What gives America the right to micromanage the world and attempt to police other nations, especially on such a trivial "crime".

The only ones acting stupid here are the law makers in the United States.

 

[leemajors]

Wondering if you'd also support your girlfriend's extradition to a country with Sharia rule because she was so stupid to not wear "Hijaab" to cover herself in public in the US. By Sharia law I think she'd be due for stoning. Ah well, yeah... she was just being stupid and I don't feel sorry for her at all...

I don't feel sorry for him at all, when you go into a niche such as this you should know what you are getting yourself into. I agree that the extradition is ridiculous and it shouldn't happen, we don't want a one world government, but other than that all I can say is that it's his own fault for being stupid. You don't start a movie site when it is pretty much illegal to do even though the UK laws allow linking. This is comparable to being a third party and linking those that want to buy guns illegally to those that sell guns illegally, you're not selling anything, you just have contacts but if the buyer or the seller got caught you would be sentenced to because you participated in the crime and didn't do anything to stop it. The same goes for those movie sites. It may all be happening in the UK, but most of the content was from the US. Otherwise everyone would start creating movie sites just to make a few bucks.

 

[Zapdos]

It's also illegal to use or have access to encryption. Better send you guys off to N. Korea.
You can't own or buy certain graphic games. Off to australia!


You should only be concerned of the law in your country (and further sub-groups) and international law. Not laws of other countries.

 

[ShadeDream]

Are you serious? How is it his own fault for being stupid?

Please remember he?s a citizen of the United Kingdom not the United States. Why should he even care about another countries laws.

Pretty much illegal isn?t illegal especially not in his country and if linking where truly such a heinous crime as you make it out to be then Larry Page and Sergey Brin would be doing life in prison.

The whole issue is that of Sovereignty. What gives America the right to micromanage the world and attempt to police other nations, especially on such a trivial ?crime?.

The only ones acting stupid here are the law makers in the United States.

You're not understanding the point, and my gun example was only an example. Google is a search engine that indexes everything and not only movies, so stop pointing your fingers at Google when it's not the same. Why do you think no other UK teens have been making movie sites? Because it's illegal, so what that the UK allows linking, that's just a bullshit loophole that doesn't mean anything. Otherwise every other teen would start a movie site to make money, it's not like the guy was creative, he copied other people.

I can understand your point and I don't agree with the extradition but if you look through the whole case, he was clearly asking for trouble. He should have made himself as anonymous as possible but instead he thought he was smart. As some have said, greed has covered his eyes, though greed would just be an excuse for his stupidness.

Try making a torrent site where you link to torrents in the UK, and I'm sure even though you're only linking, you'll get screwed faster than you think if the site becomes somewhat active.

Wondering if you'd also support your girlfriend's extradition to a country with Sharia rule because she was so stupid to not wear "Hijaab" to cover herself in public in the US. By Sharia law I think she'd be due for stoning. Ah well, yeah... she was just being stupid and I don't feel sorry for her at all...

Your example is stupid and it doesn't even compare. As far as I'm aware Sharia is an Islamic law and not a rule. It doesn't compare and I won't even bother trying to explain why.

With regards to the TV site, it is more complicated than you think, based on UK laws it is legal to link but the products that were being linked to belong to the US and they all have copyright protection. If the US doesn't win the case, the UK will seem like a heaven for piracy, and the US doesn't want this to happen therefore they will do everything to extradite O'Dwyer.

As I said before, I don't agree with the extradition but the copyright linking is another matter.

 

[ShadeDream]

You should only be concerned of the law in your country (and further sub-groups) and international law. Not laws of other countries.

I agree, but when you link to copyrighted US material that is also being sold in the UK, the same copyright laws apply to you. Just because you live in the UK doesn't mean you can go stealing in the US and then come back and not get done for it because you're in the UK.

 

[bertbaby]

Please we can expend all our energy on SOPA while the crooks rob us blindly at the bank everyday. The time should always fit the crime and I'll be impressed when I see a line of bankers and insiders do some time for stealing the billions they have taken from a corrupt system. So in the meantime leave the little guy alone and screw the copyrights! Nobody was buying that crap anyway!

 

[JimmyWong]

Perhaps O'Dwyer should've done some research on the 2003 US-UK Extradition Treaty.

He thought he was smart.

Oh what's that? The US government have taken down my site that allows me to profit from piracy, I know, I'll put up the same site on a different domain! (Massive error of judgement there)

The most fair outcome is that he is made to pay back $200k, and doesn't go to prison. Or does a few weeks as a deterrant. 10 years is obviously far too much.

 

[johnhunter]

Although it was a massive error to put a new site up I don't see why he should be extradited to the U.S rather than face a trial over in the U.K, I'm sure he violated U.K copyright laws too so why does the U.S take precedent?

I hate the way the U.K bends over backwards for the U.S but if we ask them for something in return it's a big FU.

 

[Tracy007]

I think theirs more serious crimes being committed by the USA government than what this guy has done, Bush and Rumsfeld should face a firing squad for shore some day and throw Blair in the mix also but hey politicians and the wealth can get away with anything little man on the street gets nicked tho.

 

[dannyduberstein]

You're not understanding the point, and my gun example was only an example. Google is a search engine that indexes everything and not only movies, so stop pointing your fingers at Google when it's not the same. Why do you think no other UK teens have been making movie sites? Because it's illegal, so what that the UK allows linking, that's just a bullshit loophole that doesn't mean anything. Otherwise every other teen would start a movie site to make money, it's not like the guy was creative, he copied other people.

I find it very hard to believe that he was the only teen or individual involved in making a warez linking site. Copyright litigation is known for picking out scapegoat and raping them.


How else could you explain a mother getting sued for 1.5 million for downloading Britney Spears, and I suppose your going to tell me she was the only one to ever do such an immoral and unethical act. Right?

Come on man, your into IM you should know the movie niche is a super competitive niche, and that tons of people are involved in just do a simple search of BHW.

Please we can expend all our energy on SOPA while the crooks rob us blindly at the bank everyday. The time should always fit the crime and I'll be impressed when I see a line of bankers and insiders do some time for stealing the billions they have taken from a corrupt system. So in the meantime leave the little guy alone and screw the copyrights! Nobody was buying that crap anyway!

Not only do they rob us blind but they launder money for nacro-terrorists with impunity:

http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloo...ve-Steps-Down-at-Money-Laundering-3728171.php

I guess it's okay for the government and banks to give drug dealers guns and launder their money but when you cross one of the lobbying groups that finance the politicians then your deserve to go to prison.

Makes sense.

 

[ShadeDream]

I find it very hard to believe that he was the only teen or individual involved in making a warez linking site. Copyright litigation is known for picking out scapegoat and raping them.

Come on man, your into IM you should know the movie niche is a super competitive niche, and that tons of people are involved in just do a simple search of BHW.

Dude, you're grabbing me by the words. Obviously there's a lot of teens/individuals involved in making warez linking sites and I know that it is a super competitive niche due to the money that can be made with it. But the difference between these people is that they either make money or don't and those that do usually keep it quiet or are in countries other than the US/UK. This doesn't seem to be the case here, and although me, you, and BHW know that there's a lot of people making money with movie sites, the general public doesn't even have a clue how this could be done. If it wasn't for the media, the case might have slipped by but because the whole UK knows about this, the US won't let it slip by because it will give a bad example to the rest of the population making them think they can get away with linking copyright material. Not that they can't but the US obviously doesn't want to be telling the public to start making movie sites because you're likely to get away with it. That's probably the only reason they want to extradite him, just to set an example.

How else could you explain a mother getting sued for 1.5 million for downloading Britney Spears, and I suppose your going to tell me she was the only one to ever do such an immoral and unethical act. Right?

That's a completely different case that has nothing to do with this, it's stupid too but it doesn't even come close to this.

It's a completely different thing when you download a music track just to listen to it, compared with creating a movie site where the main goal of the site is to make money of off it.

Not only do they rob us blind but they launder money for nacro-terrorists with impunity:

http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/HSBC-Executive-Steps-Down-at-Money-Laundering-3728171.php

I guess it?s okay for the government and banks to give drug dealers guns and launder their money but when you cross one of the lobbying groups that finance the politicians then your deserve to go to prison.

Makes sense.

When you have money, you have power, and when you have power, you're almost untouchable. That's how life is and there's not much you can do about it, everyone would have to step down and material gains would need to lose value for anything to change in this world, but this will never happen, at least not in the centuries to come.

It's life, if you want to be like them, go ahead, you can, if not then stop moaning and get on with life.

 

[leemajors]

- The guy is a citizen of the UK, lives in the UK, his hosting is in the UK, most of his users are from the UK.
- He built a site that linked to copyrighted material, perfectly legal in the UK. He respected DMCA notices and took down links when requested.

Where's the stealing part? The US is prosecuting a UK citizen for an alleged crime which took place on UK soil.

I agree, but when you link to copyrighted US material that is also being sold in the UK, the same copyright laws apply to you. Just because you live in the UK doesn't mean you can go stealing in the US and then come back and not get done for it because you're in the UK.

 

[OldSalt]

First of all, I stopped reading the various propaganda and US stomping about 1/3 of the way down. Secondly, I do NOT appreciate people saying quotes like these:

Then they wonder why everyone hates them, I predict their empire will soon fall and I sure can't wait.

Bush and Rumsfeld should face a firing squad for shore some day and throw Blair in the mix also but hey politicians and the wealth can get away with anything little man on the street gets nicked tho.

As an American, I find those comments HIGHLY insulting and an unwarrented attack. I would never think about saying anything as cruel as that crap against a country - even when I disagree with their GOVERNMENT'S policies. As far as the whole firing squad quote - I would only say that for a country's leader that was guilty of murder/genocide - not because I disagreed with their politics.

Honestly - the crap like the above just pisses me off.

PS. Concerning the OP - I think the guy should have C&D when he realized that it was being pursued... That's what we would have advised him if he had been here and asked. He continued and honestly... I think the US should have to come to the UK and charge him there because that's where he is a citizen and operating out of... but that's just my opinion.

PPS. If the guy's site didn't actually host copyrighted material and only linked to it, I think it's crap that it's even being pursued. I don't understand how someone could be prosecuted for linking to anything as long as it's not on his site. Otherwise, why isn't Google, Bing, and any other search engine prosecuted for child porn and illegal gun sales (they link to them, don't they?)

 

[leemajors]

PPS. If the guy's site didn't actually host copyrighted material and only linked to it, I think it's crap that it's even being pursued. I don't understand how someone could be prosecuted for linking to anything as long as it's not on his site. Otherwise, why isn't Google, Bing, and any other search engine prosecuted for child porn and illegal gun sales (they link to them, don't they?)

Exactly. It's even worse if you think about it. Search engines are spidering pictures and store them on THEIR servers. Essentially this is copyright infringement, isn't it? AND... their main goal is to make money off of that content. What's the big friggin' difference?