MPAA violates software license

Author: Brett Thomas
Published: 19th February 2007
Comments (24) Stumble
The MPAA blog contained lots of info on not violating copyrights...

The MPAA blog contained lots of info on not violating copyrights...

Everybody knows that the more a person or organisation stands in the spotlight and preaches from a soapbox, the more that it will be scrutinized. The old adage of "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" didn't come from nowhere...but perhaps the MPAA should reread several old adages like that. Maybe it could even post the results of that reading on its blog, which is running on pirated software. Oops.

It's not all bad for the MPAA...the blogging software, written by 29 year old programmer Patrick Robin, is actually released freely under the "linkware" license. This means that as long as you don't pay for the software, you simply must keep links back to the program (Forest Blog, for those curious) to help spread the word. If you would like to remove the links, an individual license costs ten quid, and a corporate license is 25. That's all - 25 measley pounds for someone's hard work.

Of course, the MPAA didn't really want to pay 25 quid...and why should it, when the program is available freely? So, it put up the blog - and in an effort not to look like it was using free software, it stripped out every reference to either Mr. Robin or his site, which completely violates the license. Patrick actually discovered the theft on accident, cruising around the net from a link a friend sent him.

The MPAA has taken down its blog for now, but TorrentFreak was nice enough to grab a screencap beforehand. But you don't need the blog - a quick visit to the MPAA website will show you logos and discussion and everything else about why creative content should be respected and how copyrights are important for everyone involved. That is, of course, unless you're bigger than having to pay 25 quid for some poor programmer's paltry software. Oh, the irony.

Personally, I think that Mr. Robin should receive fair compensation for this violation of his intellectual property. As calculated in the **AA tradition, that will be 25 quid for each person who may have witnessed the code posted without those links, times the distance between the earth and the sun, then squared. And if the MPAA goes bankrupt or ceases to exist, then the suit should immediately be passed on to all of the board members' deceased grandparents, who may have somehow allowed this theft to occur by having children in the first place.

Feel free to leave your own calculations (and thoughts on the matter) in our forums.
Quote Glider 19th February 2007, 15:11
O W N E D :)
Quote bilbothebaggins 19th February 2007, 15:24
Quote:
Originally Posted by article

As calculated in the **AA tradition, that will be 25 quid for each person who may have witnessed the code posted without those links, times the distance between the earth and the sun, then squared. And if the MPAA goes bankrupt or ceases to exist, then the suit should immediately be passed on to all of the board members' deceased grandparents, who may have somehow allowed this theft to occur by having children in the first place.

*rofl* ... :D :D ... ... :(
Quote mmorgue 19th February 2007, 15:29
They should be raked over the coals for that one. I say give them a taste of their own poison and nail em for everything Patrick can. Seems only just.

Get a court order, get a listing of how many people visited their blog during the infraction and based on that do the calculations. Simple. ;)
Quote _DTM2000_ 19th February 2007, 15:37
Funniest thing I've read in ages! It's nice to see they lead by example!

Mr T says...I pity the fools at the MPAA!

Mr Robin should so sue their hypocritical asses.
Quote kenco_uk 19th February 2007, 15:40
Send them a letter from a solicitor asking for one squintillion pounds :)

Last sentence.. 'Feel fre..' wants to be 'Feel free..'
-- fixed. You drive me nuts, kenco :) - Da Dego
Quote Krikkit 19th February 2007, 15:46
This story has made my day.

Utterly awesome self-ownage, how do they manage to do it so consistently?
Quote otispunkmeyer 19th February 2007, 15:52
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krikkit
This story has made my day.

Utterly awesome self-ownage, how do they manage to do it so consistently?

because like any other high ranking group.... such as the labour party for example, they are run soley by complete idiots.

it amazes me how people so clueless get into positions of power and immense wealth
Quote Glider 19th February 2007, 15:54
Quote:
Originally Posted by otispunkmeyer
it amazes me how people so clueless get into positions of power and immense wealth
Because complete idiots make the perfect puppets, and take the fall for their controllers... Look at Bush and the weapons lobby...
Quote plagio 19th February 2007, 17:19
hahahahahahahahahhahaha
Idiods
Quote plagio 19th February 2007, 17:22
Update, the MPAA has written to Patrik Robin :

The material has been removed from our Web server.

* No Web links were ever provided to the blog.
* The blog was never assigned a domain name.
* The blog was never advertised to the public in any way.
* The material on the server was a proof of concept awaiting approval to move into production.
* The blog was only ever used for testing purposes.
* Should we have decided to make the move to production, then we would have paid the 25 Pounds that would have authorized us to run a version of the blog without the logos and links.
Quote Mary Jo 19th February 2007, 17:26
Plagio: Got a link to that?

I wonder if the MPAA feels the same way about downloading films. "It was never shown in public", "I was just testing it", "If it was good, I would've bought the DVD" etc.
Quote flabber 19th February 2007, 17:29
Now thát's complete and utter pwnage! But I guess the MPAA will probably simply blame the webmaster for making the website while using/stealing code. They highly regret it, and will take precousions to make sure this never happens again.... after which you never hear from it either.

I hope they'll be sued for it, in the same way they sue other people.... and I hope it hurts in more then one way as well.

That's the second (or was it third... who's counting) time they've been caught doing something that they were made to stop instead.
Quote randosome 19th February 2007, 19:22
sadly i read this on Saturday or something, after cruising to his site he said he wont be suing them or anything, he sent off an email and got the response that plagio posted

Quite frankly, i think he should sue just because they go round suing everyone else for copyright infringement they should learn from their own blooming words
Quote Redbeaver 19th February 2007, 20:14
the cops got busted... w00t!
Quote EQC 19th February 2007, 20:51
Hmmm...I remember the MPAA being caught illegally copying a DVD before too (I think it was a DVD documentary about the MPAA and the hypocrites who run it, IIRC...). Anybody know what happened with that? Did they weasel out of any retribution there too?

On the other hand...for some reason, I think the MPAA might be a tad nicer than the RIAA. I always hear about the RIAA lawsuits, but very rarely about the MPAA. Maybe, though, it has more to do with the fact that music files (being smaller than movies) are easier to share en-masse, and therefore are easier to get sue-happy about.
Quote NaThRo 19th February 2007, 23:50
I think Mr. Robin has gone about it the right way, showing them he's the bigger man by not suing them.

I hope he encourages them to take a page out of his book though. "Guys, I could have sued you, learn a lesson."
Quote MrBurritoMan 20th February 2007, 06:11
oh wow, oh wow, oh wow....

i cannot think of a time or place where the adage that you mentioned:

"people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"

couldn't be more perfect or true. i cannot wait to see Mr Robin go after them.

"uh yeah...i was just awaiting approval to buy that software..."
uh huh...riiight..... ;)
Quote airchie 20th February 2007, 09:39
Quote:
Personally, I think that Mr. Robin should receive fair compensation for this violation of his intellectual property. As calculated in the **AA tradition, that will be 25 quid for each person who may have witnessed the code posted without those links, times the distance between the earth and the sun, then squared. And if the MPAA goes bankrupt or ceases to exist, then the suit should immediately be passed on to all of the board members' deceased grandparents, who may have somehow allowed this theft to occur by having children in the first place.
ROFLMFAO!!!! :D:D:D:D:D

This has to be one of the funniest things I've read in AGES!
Quote [USRF]Obiwan 20th February 2007, 10:59
I had a dream: "sui them for kaziljoin dollars and win..."
Quote plagio 20th February 2007, 12:58
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary Jo
Plagio: Got a link to that?

I wonder if the MPAA feels the same way about downloading films. "It was never shown in public", "I was just testing it", "If it was good, I would've bought the DVD" etc.

The linkis actually on the article itlsef

http://www.patrickrobin.co.uk/default.asp?Display=4
Quote JazX101 20th February 2007, 14:20
Serious Self Pwnage.
Quote David_Fitzy 21st February 2007, 03:21
I really don't think the MPAA will learn from robin's good example. and if he does sue then the MPAA will just bury him with 20x the lawyers he could get each paid 500x more. he'd never win. it's very clear cut to us but i'm sure that MPAA lawyers would be able just to drag it out until robin has no more money for legal fees/food
Quote Cabe 21st February 2007, 03:39
Quote:
Originally Posted by otispunkmeyer
because like any other high ranking group.... such as the labour party for example, they are run soley by complete idiots.

it amazes me how people so clueless get into positions of power and immense wealth

Its called the Dilbert Principal
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Adams
The most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management.

I agree BTW.
Quote quack 22nd February 2007, 14:01
Quote:
Patrick actually discovered the theft on accident, cruising around the net
That should be by accident.

By accident.
On purpose.
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