My life as an ex computer pirate

I'm at a loss as to how you got banned from owning a PC for five years? It's not a crime to own blank CD's and burning towers. Why did you not fight such a silly sentence if they had absolutely zero evidence?

I know it's already been asked, but I'm still at a loss as to how such a sentence could be imposed with no evidence.
 
GarethDW said:
Double Jeopardy would probably come into play here... although that may only apply if you've been acquited the first time round and if you've been convicted then it might not even be relevant, as you'd have spent your punishment. I should have paid more attention in my law lectures.
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Bah - well after the "Sent Item to Wrong Address" thread I'm sure theres people sad enough to send it to the cops.
 
People are asking why I didn't fight when there was little evidence. As far as I was concerned there was loads of evidence and I was guilty as charged. Compared to my mate who had his house taken away I was lucky. I had also bought shame on my wife, kids and parents etc. I gladly accepted their rules and of course I was scared that I would lose my job.
 
It's easy to be a keyboard warrior and say "I'd have fought the law to the end". But IMO most people would have done the same as you and would have just been happy to not be in a much worse situation.
 
eracer2006 said:
is it true i read somewhere that the RIAA is sueing a website that sells mp3's more money than third world countries owe to the usa ?
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The RIAA does like to make examples of the people it catches, so it is probably true they are sueing a website a lot of money, but afaik countries owe the USA billions of dollars, which I don't think the website will get sued for.
 
Lucky escape, I agree. Glad you've learned your lesson though. I don't mind it when people download the odd mp3 or movie here and there as I do it myself on occasions but selling them on is another matter.

I have a neighbour(well, he stays quite a bit up the road) that's unemployed, probably due to "not being able to work" for some reason, he's incredibly overweight so that'll be the reason! Anyway, at one point he went around every street in my area passing sheets through everyones letterbox containing a huge list of pirate DVD's he could make. The sheets were advertising the fact that he could make DVD's, CD's etc and contained all his contact details from address to phone number. What an idiot!

I also have a local butcher shop that owns a butcher van, which they sell their products out the back of. The butcher that works in the back of this van advertises the fact that he can make DVD's also. He asked my Gran if she wanted Oceans 13, the other day. He had a pile of ready-made DVD's, in the back of the van. I felt like phoning the owner of the shop and getting the chap the sack.
 
something ain't right, there is no way they would ban you from having a PC in your house for 5 years, you say "loads of evidence", yet in your OP you had cleared out all evidence. I personally think you was more on a guilt trip and accepted that you had been caught when if no actual evidence then maybe you should have got a good lawyer. Of course this would still mean your activities would have stopped due to the "knock on the door", but legally if no real evidence then you shouldn't of accepted the 5yr ban. I've seen and known market traders that get away with less and they've been caught red handed
 
gjrc said:
um, just because you have a PC doesnt mean you have to pirate stuff....

its not an addiction is it??
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bets on how long that excuse is used in court ........


i must admit it is a slight one like the need to have everything...mind you thats wht am told id never do it myself :)
 
knowlesy said:
bets on how long that excuse is used in court ........


i must admit it is a slight one like the need to have everything...mind you thats wht am told id never do it myself :)
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A guy I went to uni with fully caught up with both the PirateBay and Torrentspy - now thats addiction!

His PC ran at 100% load for the amount he downloaded, and he had to burn DVD's and buy HDD's like they were going out of fashion.
 
There is more to this story.

Around 4 years ago QABoy came on the forums and played a guessing game with me and it transpired he came to watch my band play quite often.
Shortly afterwards I was called to a staff meeting where QABoy was facing me and we both looked at each other in shock because we had both worked at the same company for 20+ years but never seen each other. He worked in a little room at one end of the factory and I worked at the other end and never did our paths cross.

Up to 5 years ago our factory was a den of piracy (ooh arr). I'm not lying when I say that come dinnertime it was like market stalls opening up and you could buy anything from fags, booze, trainers, jewellery, perfume, clothes, PC games, Playstation games and audio disks. Management turned a blind eye because everybody wants a bargain and let me say that not one of that management are there now.
Anyway, around this time QABoy was part of a mass raid by Customs & Excise, Trading Standards and the police who went through the factory like a dose of salts.
When they hit the back shops the word spread quickly and bosses went and warned all the assembly line pirates who very quickly filled big wheelie bins with 1000s of goods and they were taken out the back.
I was warned because I was known as Mr Pc or Data because I was the works supposedly PC expert.
About 20 people were arrested but only 2 were found to have stuff at work and they were sacked. If they had raided at 8 am they would have found everybody with something but they came at about 11:30.
This basically wiped out the factory pirates but about 18 months ago we had another raid for fags and booze and that did wipe them out.

QABoy was lucky and knowing him I know why he didn't fight it and unlike us all on here he can get on with a life in the evening.
 
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