FBI Breaks Up Two Movie Piracy Rings

Murder, in almost every jurisdiction, carries a penalty of much more than 5 years. Some places, the death penalty. Others, life without the possibility of parole. Others, 20 years.

5 years is still a far cry from any murder conviction.

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#2.1 - Sat Jul 1, 2006 8:20 AM EDT

in IL in 2001 the adverage prison stay for murder was just over 10 years.. so no that isnt a far cry from 5 years
http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/reports/statistical_presentation_2001/part2.shtml
in florida the adveage time for rape is 6 years so that i s a more apt comparison.. priracy is like brutal rape.
IN fl the adverage stay for murder was 20 years but only after recent laws that say violent offenders must server atleast 85% of their sentence.

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#2.2 - Sat Jul 1, 2006 11:19 AM EDT

If you want to use anecdotal examples, here's another one. In Pennsylvania, life is life. You get life in prison, you're spending life in prison and that's that.

Considering the FBI was investigating them, it's a federal charge, and federal charges in general fall under that "no-joke" category. Spending federal time in prison is one of those things where murderers not only get the sentence they are supposed to under the statutes, but they also serve the sentences in prisons that are either maxed or supermaxed (violent offences, moeso).

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#2.3 - Sat Jul 1, 2006 12:51 PM EDT

Those aren't anecdotal, those are relevant examples. Piracy is not a violent crime. It is a business "protecting our cash revenue" crime. It technically isn't even theft, since the owner still has their property. And theft laws aren't even as strong as some piracy penalties.

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#2.4 - Sat Jul 1, 2006 1:46 PM EDT

Those aren't anecdotal, those are relevant examples. Piracy is not a violent crime. It is a business "protecting our cash revenue" crime.

That's correct. It's not a violent crime. It's a crime, however, whether you want to redefine the statutes or not.

It technically isn't even theft, since the owner still has their property.

Patently untrue. If someone walks into a Strawbridges and takes clothing, and then is nabbed in the parking lot by the Loss Protection people, they still get charged with retail theft. If someone walks into a Best Buy with an item that is not his and is not broken, but breaks it while he is in line and tries to return it and gets caught, it's still theft by deception. Theft isn't determined by whether or not the lawful seller still has the item, it's the actions of the person taking the items.

Theft is theft, and while some here may disagree with said federal statute, it's still theft no matter which way you look at it.

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#2.5 - Sat Jul 1, 2006 4:15 PM EDT

Patently untrue. If someone walks into a Strawbridges and takes clothing, and then is nabbed in the parking lot by the Loss Protection people, they still get charged with retail theft.

That is a terrible example. If they get away, Strawbridges loses a physical object. With piracy, whether the violator gets away or is caught, the owner still has their property.

It is a different kind of crime. That is why it is called by a different name.

Definition of Larceny:

a criminal taking of the property or services of another without consent

No property is lost, no services lost. It's not theft- its piracy. That is why they call it piracy.

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#2.6 - Sat Jul 1, 2006 5:52 PM EDT

No, it's a perfect example. The merchandise is returned to the rightful owner, but they are still charged with theft. The owner has the merchandise.

And even outside of that example, Inchoate offenses exist for a reason. The law is the law as created; to protect the intellectual property rights of another individual. Even when people attempt to commit a crime, and don't actually finish it, they're still charged for attempting to do that specific act. Even though there was no completion.

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#2.7 - Sat Jul 1, 2006 6:40 PM EDT

No, it's a perfect example. The merchandise is returned to the rightful owner, but they are still charged with theft. The owner has the merchandise.

You still don't understand. In piracy, the owner's property never left his hands. That is why it is NOT theft and called piracy. Look at the laws if you still can't grasp this.

And even outside of that example, Inchoate offenses exist for a reason.

Inchoate offenses have nothing to do with this subject. Piracy is not the beggining phases of a crime. It is a complete crime, beginning to end, but it is a different crime than theft. This is what you can't seem to understand.

Intellectual property isn't compromised, either. No one is claiming these movies are their own and trying to make money off of ownership. They aren't licensing movies at theaters or trying to sign Matthew McConaghey for the sequel. They are selling a DVD that has a recording of the movie viewing.

In theft, someone actually loses something. In piracy, the owner's ability to make money off of their property might be compromised. Possibily. No one knows for sure.

Point: Yes piracy is wrong and a crime, but 5 years in federal prison isn't appropriate unless you are the MPAA lobbyist paying off the politician. We have so many greater problems in the U.S. that should require FBI attention; piracy doesn't even crack the top 50 in harm for the country.

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#2.8 - Sun Jul 2, 2006 12:50 AM EDT

No, I do understand, you're not grasping the idea of laws determined by the democratic and constitutional process. Theft doesn't even require leaving ones hands; and intellectual property theft is still theft.

You say it's not, but federal laws governing what is or is not theft specifically place this in the category of theft. Whether yuo like it or not, that is the reality; no need to try to rewrite it.

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#2.9 - Sun Jul 2, 2006 8:50 AM EDT

The federal laws, laws of democratic process, and laws of constitutional process all apparently disagree with you. That's gotta be rough.

Each could face five years in prison if convicted of conspiracy, copyright infringement and trafficking in counterfeit goods.

Notice the lack of any charges in the realm of larceny. Please, notice. No minor theft, no grand theft, no theft by deception...nothing. No theft at all.

Now...how can you spin that?

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#2.10 - Sun Jul 2, 2006 2:35 PM EDT

Because stealing of intellectual property is a form of theft. That's kind of the whole point. When it's intellectual property, you infringe their copyright; to infringe a copyright, you must effectively steal their intellectual property. Remember, you may want to strictly define theft, but "identity theft" is still stealing, even though the rightful owner doesn't lose his or her identity.

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#2.11 - Sun Jul 2, 2006 3:42 PM EDT

Oh, and as far as me spinning anything, it seems the Department of Justice agrees with me.

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#2.12 - Sun Jul 2, 2006 3:50 PM EDT