Re: SPA sues C2, other ISPs and users

[azur@netcom.com (Steve Schear)]

>>A few months ago I saw Sameer grumbling about people "not paying for
>>Apache-SSL".  Now SPA claims he's operating an ISP to promote piracy.  So
>>first he's a software publisher and now he's a software pirate.  Uh, yeah,
>>whatever.  Obviously SPA is on a PR campaign here which defies all
>>conventional logic.
>
>It looks to me like they're trying to achieve results through fear and
>intimidation that they can't reach via persuasion; e.g., they are trying to
>create a climate where ISP's turn over user information without a fuss
>because they don't want to be sued themselves; and where users (and home
>page "publishers" or authors) are afraid to even discuss infringement, or
>do anything even close to the conceptual lines between fair use,
>noncommercial alterations of works (a la _Galoob v. Nintendo_ 964 F.2d 965
>(CA9, 1992), where defendants' marketed a "Game Genie" which altered the
>play of Nintendo cartridges used in concert with it, held to be
>noninfringing), and infringement.

In Sameer's case they may not get far with forcing him to reveal user
identites since any one of them with intelligence is probably using ecash
or money orders for payment (something he encourages to protect anonymity).

Where's Eric Hughes' Universal Piracy System now that we need it?



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