U.K. Copyright Lawyer Quits Over Death Threats

[gl1koz3]

They better start making stuff that you actually like to pay for. For now all this artist business seems a bit like a mob of wanna-bes way too accustomed to easy money. There are gems, but they are few.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Meh, I have very little sympathy from these corporate bullies.
I remember once I came home from a stressful day and I got a call from a bill collector and the lady started threatening me saying she was going to ruin my life if I didn't fork over money, that my wife would leave me and my kids would be destitute and just started insulting me by calling me a deadbeat and the scum of the world. I was like wtf, I don't owe anyone any money, ended up she misdialed the number. Just hung up, no apology nothing. I called the number back, and demanded to talk to a supervisor. Supervisor comes after like 20 minutes of waiting, I tell him what was said, he asks whether or not I was the person in question who owed the money, I said no. He told me to mind my own business and hung up.
I of course was enraged and called back several times, guy hung up every time, 3rd time he said that if I kept calling he would have me arrested and sued for harassment.

It is complete bs that these kinda of companies can treat people so poorly and not be held accountable at all.

Wow...that's just sad. And a little upsetting.

 

[RelexCryo]

And now watch as everyone condones it.

I had a big long post sey out but I'll just reference the thread where half the posters rejoiced in the death of a guy because he tried to mug someone, and say that people need to get themselves a little perspective before they start "sticking it to the man".

No, these guys should not have been sending fines to people they weren't sure were file-sharers, that doesn't justify sending bloody death threats.

You mean the one where two adults hit someone while he was jogging at night? Being struck with fists repeatedly will either injure or kill you. He was outnumbered and his attackers were much younger than he was. He thought his nose was broken with the first punch. Can you explain why he was obligated to let himself be injured or killed, simply for the sake of the people who are trying to violate his rights?

 

[Woodsey]

And now watch as everyone condones it.

I had a big long post sey out but I'll just reference the thread where half the posters rejoiced in the death of a guy because he tried to mug someone, and say that people need to get themselves a little perspective before they start "sticking it to the man".

No, these guys should not have been sending fines to people they weren't sure were file-sharers, that doesn't justify sending bloody death threats.

You mean the one where two adults hit someone while he was jogging at night? Being struck with fists repeatedly will either injure or kill you. He was outnumbered and his attackers were much younger than he was. He thought his nose was broken with the first punch. Can you explain why he was obligated to let himself be injured or killed, simply for the sake of the people who are trying to violate his rights?

The one who died (and was mugging him) was the younger one.

And you're not reading what I'm saying - I didn't say I sided with the attackers, just that they didn't deserve to die.

 

[godofallu]

Reading this thread made me genuinely sad. Not necessarily for the lawyer or for those who received those letters, but for the state of the Escapist forums.

Look, guys. I don't like copyright law much when it's enforced like this either. I don't like corporate bully lawyers, and it's clear that what he was doing was quite dubious. But what those guys did when they threatened the lawyer was nothing short of terrorism.

They didn't agree with what the guy was doing, so they threatened to kill him 'till he stopped. They didn't challenge his accusations or demand evidence, they didn't refute his claims. They didn't call the police or a lawyer of their own to investigate a potential scam. They threatened to kill him. And here you are (some of you), celebrating that fact.

It's easy to get behind death threats and sabre-rattling when it's about something you believe in, isn't it? You don't have to be wearing a bomb-vest and a turban to be a terrorist, and you don't have to stand in the street burning flags to support it.

I know it's such a horribly cliché thing to say, but I honestly expected more from this place.

I haven't said anything yet, but I feel like arguing with you since you seem intelligent.

It seems to me like the people who sent the lawyer death threats didn't approve of the law, and how it worked. No need to call the police or a lawyer, they know they are guilty and unlawful. No need to demand evidence, the man clearly knew they downloaded files. No need to argue morals, the lawyer has already shown his.

You have a few options if you are one of those people who torrented a movie to watch on a friday night. Pay the man tens of thousands of dollars, fight it in court and pay the man hundreds of thousands of dollars, flee the country, or fight back (unlawfully).

Which would you pick? What if you were 21 yet still listed as a dependent on your parents tax forms (which means the courts can go after your family's income + yours).