Um....if he was going to spent that much time and money on a gift, couldn't he have spent it on something legal? I'm sure $30k can buy the soldiers something awesome they would greatly appreciate without breaking the law, which I'm sure they wouldn't want him doing on their behalf anyway.
And this will probably be unpopular but I don't like the idea of someone being able to break the law just because of their age and because it was nice. Sure he wanted to do something cool for the soldiers but he didn't have to commit a crime just to do it. The fact that he did means he should be punished, how much is for the courts to say but it wouldn't be right for him to go 100% scot-free for this.
Chairman Miaow: I love the hypocrisy up in this thread. Almost everybody has just advocated piracy.
Because it was for a good cause. In the greater scheme of things, most of these soldiers have bigger things to worry about than picking up a movie, so it's not like they would have bought them anyway. Might as well get some good PR.
But there are plenty of people on this site who will say that piracy is bad even if the game is unavailable in your area. So how is that any different, still no lost sale?
Majority of people on here don't voice a pro-piracy opinion because advocating it is a bannable offense. That's the biggest reason. But in this case, they can circumvent the rules a little.
OT: My views on 'Copyright Infringement' aren't to be argued here as I'm sure the ban-hammer will be wrathful. What I believe in this case reflects that; I believe what this man did is only for his fellow soldiers, however I don't know him and therefore cannot judge. He'll be punished, much like everyone else that 'Pirates', though I for one don't think it's fair and what I want to say is better summed up here.
"we've found a pirate who has copied 300,000 of our movies" "great lets go after him, throw the book at him, destroy him as an example" "he's 92 and ships them to soldiers on active duty in warzones" "oh crap"
frankly it wouldnt hurt the companies to do this themselves, if nothing else it would be worth amazing PR for them
Mortai Gravesend: I don't see why people think soldiers deserve such special treatment. They get paid over there, they aren't saints or something. And being a WWII veteran doesn't really give him leave to break the law.
Because they have one of the worse jobs in the world and are horribly underpaid for it? Sure it doesn't give him a legal excuse to break the law, but he's 92 years old and has brought a lot of joy to a lot of people far away from their homes and family.
What do you mean one of the worst and underpaid? I'm sure a sweatshop worker in China would love to be a US soldier since a Sweatshop worker tends to have a much more dangerous job if at least as dangerous as a US soldier. That's not even mentioning the fact that people pay off college by going to the military, not necessarily "poor pay" either. Considering the US military is so corrupt and many of its members commit crimes such as murder and rape (I'm going to assume mostly against the female soldiers) and on top of that GET AWAY WITH IT, it's rather surprising more people don't just hate the military like they did during the Vietnam War.
Because sweatshop workers aren't generally in danger of being shot or blown up.
Also, nice job attacking soldiers with unsubstantiated claims. TIL all US soldiers murder and rape, and everyone gets away with it. Nice one bro, but please save it for less civil forums... I doubt DrMegaNutz up there with the Rainbow Dash avatar appreciates being called a rapist.
Also, for clarification for posters that I'm too lazy to quote: The guy sends DVDs to army chaplains and the like because he knows they won't sell them. They're given out freely, soldiers never have to buy them. He's also funded the entire operation himself - $30,000 of his own money, about 10 cents a disc. I'm assuming most of it goes to shipping, and that he buys blank DVDs in bulk.
The more I look at this story the more I realize that this guy, right or wrong, is a pretty awesome dude. Especially since he knows it's wrong, but doesn't particularly seem to care.
While I believe what he does is amazing it sort of contradicts what the soldiers fight for to protect. While it is easy to say now that the guy is awesome what he does clearly violates the law. And those soldiers over there fight to protect that law and way of life. So I am of the opinion that he needs to stop doing this. While he does it without any objective to monetarial gains he still ignores the value of the work of so many other people. This is not really about the big stars in those movies but more about the people in the background. They are being affected more than those big stars. And while those troops are doing fantastic work but that doesn't make them viable for a different treatment. They knew the risks when they signed up. And if they didn't there still is a possibility to switch jobs. And if you say now "yeah but they are getting underpaid" I say that piracy isn't the option here. If you think that they are underpaid buy a dvd at walmart and send that one. Also this isn't comparable to taking food and giving it to the hungry, That is justifiable, bored soldiers is something the military itself should solve.
Warforger: What do you mean one of the worst and underpaid? I'm sure a sweatshop worker in China would love to be a US soldier since a Sweatshop worker tends to have a much more dangerous job if at least as dangerous as a US soldier. That's not even mentioning the fact that people pay off college by going to the military, not necessarily "poor pay" either. Considering the US military is so corrupt and many of its members commit crimes such as murder and rape (I'm going to assume mostly against the female soldiers) and on top of that GET AWAY WITH IT, it's rather surprising more people don't just hate the military like they did during the Vietnam War.
There's a lot of rapes committed against female US military personnel by male US military personnel, yes, they are at more risk of being raped by their own side that killed by the enemy.
That would seem to work against the argument that it's not a terrible job to have, at least for women. Both genders are massively over-represented in homelessness after leaving the military, with a sudden increase in women over the last few years, and predictable mishandling of support structures.
Mortai Gravesend: I don't see why people think soldiers deserve such special treatment. They get paid over there, they aren't saints or something. And being a WWII veteran doesn't really give him leave to break the law.
I have to agree here, I hope he gets fined. That's a lot of DVDs and if people get busted for copying a few then this guy is either getting fined massively or thrown in jail for the rest of his life.
The rest of his life is likely to be very short, since he's, you know, 92 years old. Most people are in nursing homes at that age, I think jail is a little extreme.
Because they have one of the worse jobs in the world and are horribly underpaid for it? Sure it doesn't give him a legal excuse to break the law, but he's 92 years old and has brought a lot of joy to a lot of people far away from their homes and family.
They chose to do that job and I doubt it was mostly for saintly reasons. It certainly isn't the kind of job that I think does the most benefit in the world anyway.
And I don't think his age excuses it, unless he isn't mentally fit.
For saintly reasons? No, they chose it because they believed that it was the right thing to do. Considering the terrible cost it could come at, they have my respect. I wouldn't have the balls to go into a combat situation like that. That's why I feel they deserve my respect, even if I totally disagree with what they're doing.
As for Big Hy, his age doesn't excuse his actions, but I doubt he'll be jailed for it. And if he's sued, it'll look terrible for the MPAA, especially with media attention on him.
So if no jail time then what punishment should he get? I see no reason why he shouldn't be punished and punished badly because 300,000 is way more than are made by guys who gets years of prison time and huge fines.
Xan Krieger: So if no jail time then what punishment should he get? I see no reason why he shouldn't be punished and punished badly because 300,000 is way more than are made by guys who gets years of prison time and huge fines.
I don't think he should be punished. Sure, what he did was *legally* wrong, but so is driving 2 miles per hour over the speed limit. So is protesting in a place the secret service decides to define as protected, even if they define it during the protest. Not just merely illegal, but a felony at that. What this man has done points out the terrible flaws in our laws, while doing a noble and kind thing.
I swear, I feel like half the people in this thread would have had Robin Hood hanged.
Xan Krieger: So if no jail time then what punishment should he get? I see no reason why he shouldn't be punished and punished badly because 300,000 is way more than are made by guys who gets years of prison time and huge fines.
I don't think he should be punished. Sure, what he did was *legally* wrong, but so is driving 2 miles per hour over the speed limit. So is protesting in a place the secret service decides to define as protected, even if they define it during the protest. Not just merely illegal, but a felony at that. What this man has done points out the terrible flaws in our laws, while doing a noble and kind thing.
I swear, I feel like half the people in this thread would have had Robin Hood hanged.
2 miles over the speed limit is no big deal, neither is peacefully protesting. Thing is this guy didn't just pirate 3 DVDs, 30 DVDs, not 300 DVDs, this was 300 THOUSAND. He broke the law on a huge scale just to give them to people (whether they be soldiers, bankers, Wal-mart employees, gas station attendents) and there is no real way to justify mass piracy.
I swear, I feel like half the people in this thread would have had Robin Hood hanged.
I must be ignorant of the story where Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the people who weren't really being victimized by these particular rich people, just for their entertainment.
Mortai Gravesend: I don't see why people think soldiers deserve such special treatment. They get paid over there, they aren't saints or something. And being a WWII veteran doesn't really give him leave to break the law.
Because they have one of the worse jobs in the world and are horribly underpaid for it? Sure it doesn't give him a legal excuse to break the law, but he's 92 years old and has brought a lot of joy to a lot of people far away from their homes and family.
What do you mean one of the worst and underpaid? I'm sure a sweatshop worker in China would love to be a US soldier since a Sweatshop worker tends to have a much more dangerous job if at least as dangerous as a US soldier. That's not even mentioning the fact that people pay off college by going to the military, not necessarily "poor pay" either. Considering the US military is so corrupt and many of its members commit crimes such as murder and rape (I'm going to assume mostly against the female soldiers) and on top of that GET AWAY WITH IT, it's rather surprising more people don't just hate the military like they did during the Vietnam War.
As much as I would expect everything to be better in the military, that's not exactly shocking considering the overwhelming majority of civilian crimes don't even get reported, let alone the criminal apprehended. I wish it were different for the military, but it's not.
Majority of people on here don't voice a pro-piracy opinion because advocating it is a bannable offense. That's the biggest reason. But in this case, they can circumvent the rules a little.
If the rules are so easily circumvented, then...ugh. See, that's the thing about rules and laws, they should be the same for everyone...
Now pirates all across the globe can argue it's okay to pirate if you send a couple hundred copies over to Afghanistan or wherever.
Mortai Gravesend: I don't see why people think soldiers deserve such special treatment. They get paid over there, they aren't saints or something. And being a WWII veteran doesn't really give him leave to break the law.
Dude, you're kind of a grumpy patootle what's up? Feel free to IM someone if you you're feeling down; I'm even available but I have a feeling that you only said that because you wanted to be contrary, not because you actually care about some multi-billion dollar movie studio.
Mortai Gravesend: I don't see why people think soldiers deserve such special treatment. They get paid over there, they aren't saints or something. And being a WWII veteran doesn't really give him leave to break the law.
Dude, you're kind of a grumpy patootle what's up? Feel free to IM someone if you you're feeling down; I'm even available but I have a feeling that you only said that because you wanted to be contrary, not because you actually care about some multi-billion dollar movie studio.
I've been pretty consistent in disliking people's praise of the military, so, yeah don't make silly assumptions. I never said I cared about the movie studio either. I'm just pointing out it really isn't justified.
Xan Krieger: So if no jail time then what punishment should he get? I see no reason why he shouldn't be punished and punished badly because 300,000 is way more than are made by guys who gets years of prison time and huge fines.
I don't think he should be punished. Sure, what he did was *legally* wrong, but so is driving 2 miles per hour over the speed limit. So is protesting in a place the secret service decides to define as protected, even if they define it during the protest. Not just merely illegal, but a felony at that. What this man has done points out the terrible flaws in our laws, while doing a noble and kind thing.
I swear, I feel like half the people in this thread would have had Robin Hood hanged.
To badly borrow from Eddie Izzard, when someone commits an atrocity such as murder by themselves we are pissed, however when one person by themselves kills 300 people we kind of have to give them some credit where credit is due, that's hard work without a bomb. Same goes for pirating, it's a crappy thing but whoah... 300,000 copies, by himself, as well as with just one multi disc drived computer. That is impressive.
Mortai Gravesend: I don't see why people think soldiers deserve such special treatment. They get paid over there, they aren't saints or something. And being a WWII veteran doesn't really give him leave to break the law.
Dude, you're kind of a grumpy patootle what's up? Feel free to IM someone if you you're feeling down; I'm even available but I have a feeling that you only said that because you wanted to be contrary, not because you actually care about some multi-billion dollar movie studio.
I've been pretty consistent in disliking people's praise of the military, so, yeah don't make silly assumptions. I never said I cared about the movie studio either. I'm just pointing out it really isn't justified.
No need to condescend me with the sillyness, I was just wondering about your emotional outlook, life isn't always painful misery.
Dude, you're kind of a grumpy patootle what's up? Feel free to IM someone if you you're feeling down; I'm even available but I have a feeling that you only said that because you wanted to be contrary, not because you actually care about some multi-billion dollar movie studio.
I've been pretty consistent in disliking people's praise of the military, so, yeah don't make silly assumptions. I never said I cared about the movie studio either. I'm just pointing out it really isn't justified.
No need to condescend me with the sillyness, I was just wondering about your emotional outlook, life isn't always painful misery.
It was condescending of you to act as though I only spoke out of feeling down, so sorry if I'm not sympathetic.
Nice of him, I guess. I don't condone his action, though.
Other than that, I don't see this ending well. Quite the pickle.
henritje: either the MPAA lets a pirate go or they end up suing a 92 WWII vet that supports the troops in his own way I would love to see how this ends
hey escapists for the sake of discussion what if this was a teenager instead of a WWII vet would you still defend him?
I'm going to go with no.
If this was a fourteen year old kid sending 300k DVDs people would be far more critical, though I'm sure he'd have his fair share of supporters to simply because it's "For the Troops (Tear shed)."
According to most people on this site, this man should be burned at the stake right guys? Isn't that what you say to all the other pirates then claim you are morally superior?
FutureJarhead16: According to most people on this site, this man should be burned at the stake right guys? Isn't that what you say to all the other pirates then claim you are morally superior?
Yay for generalizing!
OT: I don't see why he should be punished, not only is he a WWII Veteran, all he was doing was providing free entertainment to active duty soldiers who are at risk everyday. Regardless of what you people think, the Military is a pretty shit paying job considering what you're tasked with doing.
Also, he's a fucking WWII Veteran. One hell of a brutal war. He's earned the right to be let off by this, regardless of how you view the Military.
I swear, I feel like half the people in this thread would have had Robin Hood hanged.
Somebody never read Robin Hood. The story of Robin Hood is about governments extralegally robbing their citizens. Robin Hood isn't a story of Charity, that is a recently popular reinterpretation. The story is about people getting justice against thieves, no matter what clothes they wear or what titles they bear.
Tiamattt: Um....if he was going to spent that much time and money on a gift, couldn't he have spent it on something legal? I'm sure $30k can buy the soldiers something awesome they would greatly appreciate without breaking the law, which I'm sure they wouldn't want him doing on their behalf anyway.
And this will probably be unpopular but I don't like the idea of someone being able to break the law just because of their age and because it was nice. Sure he wanted to do something cool for the soldiers but he didn't have to commit a crime just to do it. The fact that he did means he should be punished, how much is for the courts to say but it wouldn't be right for him to go 100% scot-free for this.
Community service would give him something to keep occupied now that he's out of the DVD burning hobby with the troops coming home. Maybe something working with other veterans or possibly a youth center setting up AV equipment (for an old guy he seems pretty sharp with the tech). The guy is 90+ and I don't see jail time in with hardened criminals as appropriate for this "offense" really. A hefty fine might put him in poverty for the last years of his life too. So, yeah okay if they give him some probation/community service just to acknowledge that "it's not okay to break the law just because you're doing something nice for people by doing it" then fine - otherwise I'm pretty sure there will be protests and very unpleasant PR firestorms for whatever multi-media hollywood conglomerate decides to get their panties in a twist.
Tiamattt: Um....if he was going to spent that much time and money on a gift, couldn't he have spent it on something legal? I'm sure $30k can buy the soldiers something awesome they would greatly appreciate without breaking the law, which I'm sure they wouldn't want him doing on their behalf anyway.
And this will probably be unpopular but I don't like the idea of someone being able to break the law just because of their age and because it was nice. Sure he wanted to do something cool for the soldiers but he didn't have to commit a crime just to do it. The fact that he did means he should be punished, how much is for the courts to say but it wouldn't be right for him to go 100% scot-free for this.
Community service would give him something to keep occupied now that he's out of the DVD burning hobby with the troops coming home. Maybe something working with other veterans or possibly a youth center setting up AV equipment (for an old guy he seems pretty sharp with the tech). The guy is 90+ and I don't see jail time in with hardened criminals as appropriate for this "offense" really. A hefty fine might put him in poverty for the last years of his life too. So, yeah okay if they give him some probation/community service just to acknowledge that "it's not okay to break the law just because you're doing something nice for people by doing it" then fine - otherwise I'm pretty sure there will be protests and very unpleasant PR firestorms for whatever multi-media hollywood conglomerate decides to get their panties in a twist.
I kind of like this idea, so long as he's in a fair state to do easy community service. He is 92 after all, so his health might not be the best.
Being a former member of the US military I have to ask:
What the heck are they doing over there now? Maybe it was different being on an Air Force base, but there where hundreds of hours of movies, music, and games available on the networks while I was deployed and that was years ago. Maybe they started cracking down on the rampant piracy going on, but I really doubt that.
Surely we can make exceptions to the law sometimes if something so harmless and positive comes out of it?