Piracy funds terror attacks
Johnny Depp to blame, apparently
THE US Attorney General Michael Mukasey has claimed that counterfeiting and piracy is funding terrorism.
Yep, all those students downloading Coldplay tracks are actually responsible for financing the bad guys who are shooting at our boys in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mukasey was speaking to Silicon Valley executives at the Tech Museum of Innovation, in defence of the US' bizarre software patent system and copyrights.
He claimed that terror groups are taking their cues from organised crime and increasingly funding their operations from intellectual property theft, he said.
Terrorist groups, "view IP crime as lucrative and see it as a low-risk way to fund other activities," Mukasey said.
Strong stuff. However, it might be because he had just met with lobbiyists
from Apple and Adobe just before he got on the stage.
AP said that he did not elaborate how piracy was generating any money for
anyone. But elections mean that you need all the cash you can get. µ
L'Inq
AP
Comments
Reliable sources?
Guess his sources won't get much more reliable than those agencies who a few years back delivered solid evidence that Saddam had WMDs and can fire them within 50 minutes.Plus, given that all those students actually support terorism, instead of merely downloading songs worth $100,000 each, could be a nice boost for the RIAA's efforts, no?
is it a bad thing?
surly this is a good thing for the US economy?without the proceeds from piracy, they wouldnt be able to afford all those big shiney american weapons...
Not that difficult
Why is the article written with such childish incredulity that the proceeds from selling knock-off goods could be going to criminals?If money is passing hands and there's a profit to be made, it seems quite likely that organised crime would step into that area, so it's not much of a leap to think that terrorists would do the same...
It's funny...
...to see how could some people get shameless and think they could say the greatest bull without people understanding it!Do they think that people is that stupid?
May be a lot of people is so stupid, but, if we already reached that level, I think we should start tough eugenetic
programmes to save the human race's IQ!
.
Uploaders/downloaders fund only their ISP.Thats realy amazing FUD
Dont you think, that US Government sponsored by corporations is funding terrorism? How else can they destroy all freedoms and build consumer-only society?p.s. Besides, if todays copyright laws exists in Shakespeare age, then he could not write his Masterpieces without being an outlaw. So I have two more question to Mr.Farrell. Was Shakespeare sponsoring terrorism? And maybe his literature works must be forbidden to study for public?
//sorry for my english, but i`m not Shakespeare anyway.
Video, music and software funds terrorists
Ehm, I do not think that the pirates are funding the terrorists; they are just the middlemen. The people who *make* software video and music that gets pirated are to blame. They are the cause of all evil.If there were no video, no music and no software, then the whole issue would be over because there would be nothing to pirate and therefore no funding to the terrorists.
So, we forbid all software, video and music. Then we can get the terrorists down on their knees!
--
Greetings Bertho
P*P?
A reason to support P2P are the primary piracy vector?If I were to believe the media, pirates use P2P, which costs a person NOTHING. Even most P2P programmes are open source (free)
Those organised crime counterfeiters can't make a CD/ DVD cheaper than NOTHING. SO how could they compete?
They couldn't and can't compete, but that's not a great story. No very scary. doesn't drum up votes and fill the kitty.
Why oh why wont something think of our troops and support P2P?
Once all piracy is via P2P and we are all safe from the evil terrorists, it is just a case of resolving a civil matter.
Mind you, most software could be open source, businesses could charge for services, games could be free to download and the company charge for net play, artists could 'busk' direct...
oh wait, that's a *good* idea - never going to happen.
M
Sa-damn attacks.
@ VasekIt was 45 minutes, actually. ;-)
Terrorists don't need to bootleg to get their funds
Aren't terrorists already well funded by governments, religious organisations, drugs, and assorted rich lunatics?Are they really suggesting they are finding it hard to peddle opium to kids on the streets of Afghanstan these days and are selling them bootleg DVDs instead?
Sheik Yer Booty?
(next they'll be on about Beatles lyrics played backards.)Some mate fetch me red shirt and me brown pants. Admiral Karl Rove has danced his last jig. Hoist the Jolly Roger_ thar's FUD on the high seas free for the takin. We'll sink this scuttle-butt eventually, or my name's not...
umm oil?
well, I had thought that our purchase of middle east OIL was funding terrorism too.and not to mention Haliburton, and all the other so called defense contractors...
500 dollars for a hexagonal screw.... right!
@Richard
"Not that difficultWhy is the article written with such childish incredulity that the proceeds from selling knock-off goods could be going to criminals?
If money is passing hands and there's a profit to be made, it seems quite likely that organised crime would step into that area, so it's not much of a leap to think that terrorists would do the same... "
How many lawsuits have you heard of that were held agains such knock-off goods selling pirates?...
...And how many were held against single mothers, pennyless students and unsuspecting grandparents?
I thing that's the point of the article...
Trails
If you follow the logic that 'since piracy can bring money criminal will use piracy and when criminals do something terrorist do too' should you not then also conclude using the same 'logic' that since it's about money americans are heavily involved in it and that means the terrorists have lobbyist in washington? now there's a cute headline."Al Queda Runs The Congress"