music use violation

[PhilipKach]

Originally Posted by EricC

Philip I guess it depends on what you consider a MAJOR crime. Personally I consider copyright violations to be a MAJOR crime. Theft is theft no matter how you try to rationalize it.

I need to explain why my bottom line which goes to my personal history.

We had a "do-gooder" living in my neighborhood. He felt it was his duty to call the police for every offense he thought he noticed. One day he called the police to report a breaking and entering in progress at the next door neighbor's house. He had no evidence that a B&E had occured except that he saw a person in the house during the day.

The police came. The person in the house lived there and was skipping school (6th grade). When the police came to the door he was scared and hid in a closet. They broke in, searched the house, caught the boy, and held him with guns drawn. They then scared the boy by saying he almost shot.

This boy was put in harm's way by a noisy neighbor who would't mind his own business.

There were many other calls for many other issues.

I have seen more problems in the four neighborhoods that I have lived by BUSY BODIES than was ever solved by third party individual stepping in.

Copyright is a major issue. It isn't a major crime and busy bodies should keep out!

If a copyright violation effects you directly, fight to the full extent of the law. Other, mind your own business is my motto.

Philip

[Jerry Skrocki]

Originally Posted by EricC

Jerry if we were to discover one of YOUR photos being used in a manner that we thought might be an infringement, are we to believe that you wouldn't want to be told?

For that matter, when fan sites are discovered using 'stolen' photos do you believe that unless one of the photos are mine I shouldn't point out the thefts to the photographers that I know, and those that I don't?

If I was the victim of copyright infringement, I'm sure I would know soon enough.

I worked in law enforcement for 20 years and it was my job and duty to report crime.

It is not a photographer's job or duty to report alleged crimes.

People who report alleged crimes often do not have any evidence to support their allegations. It is usually a misunderstanding, distortion of facts or a vendetta that motivates them.

Leave the law enforcement to the professionals. Too often photographers complain about law enforcement interfering with their livelihood. Try looking at this situation from the other perspective.

[EricC]

Sorry Philip but in my mind the problem wasn't the neighbor. The boy A. should have been in school and B. shouldn't have been hiding in a closet. My opinion becomes MUCH more abrasive but I'll leave it there in the event that you were the boy in question.

The problem with a motto such as yours is that the definition of what is a major crime will differ for everyone. Again theft is theft, whether it's your car being stolen or a photo being used in an unauthorized fashion.

Using your motto photographers would only find out about infringements if they had the good fortune to find it themselves. We're already fighting a semi loosing battle, adding a "mind your own business if it doesn't involve you" only STRENGTHENS the likelihood that we will all be infringed upon at some point.

Funny that the 'Don't Snitch" tee shirts have been banned at the high school.

[PhilipKach]

Originally Posted by EricC

Sorry Philip but in my mind the problem wasn't the neighbor. The boy A. should have been in school and B. shouldn't have been hiding in a closet. My opinion becomes MUCH more abrasive but I'll leave it there in the event that you were the boy in question.

It wasn't me. To keep it brief, I didn't mention there were two boys and one was my younger brother.

You missed the KEY point. The neighbor had no evidence of a B&E except seeing two BOYS in the house during the day.

These boys and the POLICE OFFICERS were put at RISK because someone didn't know what was really going on. The boys were wrong. However, the one boy could have been home sick from school. The same thing would have happened.

Jerry did a better job explaining by possition in his last past. As a former LEO, Jerry has seen first hand what type of problems you get jumping in the middle of something that isn't your concern.

Philip

[EricC]

Jerry That post doesn't make ONE ounce of sense. Not ONE. You want people to have evidence of a crime BEFORE they report it?? What I should check to see that it REALLY is a gun that I thought I saw in the bank drive up before I call 911?

I should knock on the neighbors door and make sure that they aren't role playing some kinky fantasy before I call 911 and report a woman screaming for help.

Reporting an alleged crime is EVERYONE'S duty. You mean to tell me that your department didn't have a 'Tip Line'? It's up to the cops to determine if a crime may MAY have happened. Even the police are powerless to make a determination of guilt. For that you need a judge.


Philip what kind of evidence would you have wanted the neighbor to have? Do you think that he should have knocked on the door and put himself in harms way? He did the right thing, he saw something that was out of place and reported it.

[Jerry Skrocki]

Originally Posted by EricC

Jerry That post doesn't make ONE ounce of sense. Not ONE. You want people to have evidence of a crime BEFORE they report it?? What I should check to see that it REALLY is a gun that I thought I saw in the bank drive up before I call 911?

I should knock on the neighbors door and make sure that they aren't role playing some kinky fantasy before I call 911 and report a woman screaming for help.

Reporting an alleged crime is EVERYONE'S duty. You mean to tell me that your department didn't have a 'Tip Line'? It's up to the cops to determine if a crime may MAY have happened. Even the police are powerless to make a determination of guilt. For that you need a judge.

Eric,

Maybe you are in the wrong profession. No one is being raped or murdered here. Let's keep this in perspective.

Here is a link to the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section
United States Department of Justice:

cybercrime.gov

Please note: You must be a victim to report and must have evidence in the form of documentation.

[ChrisPerry]

I do believe it is everyone's duty as an upstanding citizen to report crimes and come forward if you witness something. I get sooooo mad when the blacks get all "anti-snitch" but also complain about all the crime in their neighborhood. You can't have it both ways.

Does the theft of this music affect me, now, today? No. Will it affect me tomorrow? Very possibly.

If a business is gaining a competitive advantage by violating the law (any law) then what should be done? If a pizza shop tells it's drivers to go fast and ignore stop signs for faster delivery, or a grocery sells expired food, or a pawn shop sells stolen goods or a factory ignores environmental laws should you care? If you do care, then what are you going to do about it?

Folks get all up in arms over abortion or the rights of bosnians or lots of stuff that doesn't affect them one little bit. If your livelihood depends on copyright then ANY violation of copyright should be important to you.

They came first for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time no one was left to speak up.