Prison time for downloading?

[Giggleton]

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19767970

All laws are weird but It seems a bit harsh to throw someone in jail for reading a book.

[hidari]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19767970

All laws are weird but It seems a bit harsh to throw someone in jail for reading a book.

Another Daft law...Will chime in if I hear any news of it in this section of Japan.

h...

[usuallee]

That's waaay over the top. It's downright Draconian. Downloading a file is a slap on the wrist offense at worst.

I'm against pirating, but really only if it de-motivates creative people from providing the array of books, tv shows, movies, apps, and other content I enjoy. Being something of a media junkie, I'm selfishly in favor of whatever keeps the most content coming. But it's not clear to me that illegal downloading actually leads to diminished content creation. In fact, you could argue the opposite in many cases.

There's no way jail time or a large fine is an appropriate punishment for a couple of mouse clicks, if it's for personal use. A small fine or loss of internet for a time, maybe, though I'm far from sold on that either. Actual piracy, that involves selling content you have no right to sell, i.e. selling burned CDs on the street corner, is of course another matter entirely. I'm fine with jail time for that.

[mr ploppy]

Japanese tax payers must be dancing in the streets at the thought of paying for all those millions of extra prison places they'll need. I can see America copying the idea though, they run their prisons at a profit.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by usuallee

That's waaay over the top. It's downright Draconian. Downloading a file is a slap on the wrist offense at worst.

While I agree with you that this is truly draconian, I must respectfully disagree with you that "a slap on the wrist" is sufficient. A fine needs to be large enough to be a serious disincentive to commit the offence in the first place. My local subway system fines you 50x the price of a ticket if you're caught travelling without one, and that seems to me to be of the right order of magnitude to discourage it - say a $500 for downloading an item with a $10 retail value.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I can see America copying the idea though, they run their prisons at a profit.

I wish.

[teh603]

Sounds more like the anime industry and Haim Saban are trying to crack down on fansubbing. I'm sorta dreading the effect it'll have on the anime DVD industry, though, because we're not likely to get decent shows over here anymore without fansubbers keeping various interest groups active. And then there's the probability that what does come over will be horribly chopped up to meet US network censorship requirements, which are stupidly high compared to anywhere else in the world.

(cue rant on violence vs. sex in American TV and movies)

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I can see America copying the idea though, they run their prisons at a profit.

That explains why various groups keep talking about the government building concentration camp- style facilities. Does anyone else remember the bill that would've made it a felony to violate any website's terms of use? It was rejected out of concerns that it would've opened the door for businesses to privatize the writing of laws without the need to go through the motions required by the Constitution.

An ancient Chinese curse says, "May you live in interesting times." Methinks our times fit that description very well.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by teh603

Sounds more like the anime industry and Haim Saban are trying to crack down on fansubbing. I'm sorta dreading the effect it'll have on the anime DVD industry, though, because we're not likely to get decent shows over here anymore without fansubbers keeping various interest groups active.

If by "fansubbing" you mean the internet distribution of subtitled programmes, that sounds awfully like copyright infringement to me. Is it done with the copyright holder's permission?

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by HarryT

While I agree with you that this is truly draconian, I must respectfully disagree with you that "a slap on the wrist" is sufficient. A fine needs to be large enough to be a serious disincentive to commit the offence in the first place. My local subway system fines you 50x the price of a ticket if you're caught travelling without one, and that seems to me to be of the right order of magnitude to discourage it - say a $500 for downloading an item with a $10 retail value.

Well, there was a time when having the wrong book meant you were burned at the stake.

It was a pretty good disincentive. No one ever repeated their crime.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by HarryT

If by "fansubbing" you mean the internet distribution of subtitled programmes, that sounds awfully like copyright infringement to me. Is it done with the copyright holder's permission?

fansubbing means creating and distributing subtitled programmes, taking (normally) Japanese anime and creating an English subbed version of it. (And - no)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

fansubbing means creating and distributing subtitled programmes, taking (normally) Japanese anime and creating an English subbed version of it. (And - no)

Yes - adding subtitles to a copyrighted work, and uploading it to the internet. One can hardly blame the copyright holder for wishing to prevent this, can one? It's piracy, pure and simple. (Although it doesn't merit a prison sentence, IMHO.)

[murraypaul]

Difficult to demonstrate loss though, as there are no official products for the fansubs to compete with.

[Belfaborac]

Is enforced seppuku not an option these days? If so it should be brought back forthwith!

[Kumabjorn]

@HarryT
Fansubbing appeals to a limited segment of society. Yes, it is piracy if using a strict definition. But since no one else is offering these shows to people who want to watch it, there is no real economical loss to the copyright holder. The shows I have looked at has all been horrible in their translation, so I turned it off in less than 10 minutes.
@Belfaborac
Seppuku to be truly efficient should be a voluntary act, enacted in front of your peers and superiors. In those cases were seppuku was ordered by superiors there was always doubts as to their true motivation for the act.

[Bricorn]

At least they'll have something to read to pass the time in gaol.