So I guess this means all out war by the government, for corporations, against citizens.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder urged Americans to fink on their neighbors and report intellectual-property offenses like popping or hawking unapproved pharmaceuticals and downloading music and movies illegally.

The announcement at the White House came as the Justice Department kicked off a public campaign against intellectual-property theft, which like all successful wars against societal scourges, will have public-service announcements on MTV.

“Fortunately, we can all be part of the solution. Anyone who suspects an IP crime can visit cybercrime.gov, fbi.gov, or iprcenter.gov to report suspected offenses,” Holder said. “The public’s proactive attention to these issues can help us to disrupt the sale of illegal goods; to prosecute the individuals, gangs, and international criminal organizations that profit from these activities; and to stop those who would exploit the ingenuity of others for monetary gain.”

So far there’s no word on what kind of reward you’ll get for reporting your teen sister for using an app to turn a Miley Cyrus YouTube video into an MP3, but surely you’ll get at least a Scouting badge for your loyalty to Big Content and the American Way.

Altogether now, “If you see something, say something!”



  1. dusanmal says:

    And this is not just in IP piracy domain. Recent examples of child abuses in sports organizations and aspects of it quickly led to some states contemplating and developing laws intent on punishing people for not reporting crime they have seen but not participated in… #1 prosecuted crime in the ye’ old East Germany…
    Yes, again it is done under the guise of “protect the childrens” mime.

    • LibertyLover says:

      It’s always been a crime to fail to report a felony. It’s called misprision.

      Very hard to prove, though.

      If you know someone who isn’t paying their taxes, it is your duty to report them. It’s the law.

      • e? says:

        I’d like to report Eric Holder for felony firearms trafficking, viz. the unreported cash sale of several thousand firearms to Mexican drug cartels.

        Oh.

        Nevermind.

      • #43- bobbo, OCCUPY DVORAK: what if "we-all" number our own posts and post seriatim ourselves? says:

        Like every opinion you have posted here Loser==you are on the way to the ballpark, but still no where close to it:

        http://answers.com/topic/misprision

        The crime cannot be committed without engaging in a conspiracy after the fact. Thats always been a crime. Adding the charge of misprision just shows the Liberty Lover mindset of not cleaning the garbage out of your antiquated thinking.

        • Arnold Covington, D.J. says:

          From your link:

          The crime of misprision still exists in England, but it has never been fully embraced in the United States. The first Congress passed a misprision of felony statute in 1789. The statute holds, “Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony … conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States” is guilty of misprision of felony and can be punished with up to three years in prison.

          Under the federal statute, the prosecution must prove the following elements to obtain a misprision of felony conviction: (1) another person actually committed a felony; (2) the defendant knew that the felony was committed; (3) the defendant did not notify any law enforcement or judicial officer; and (4) the defendant took affirmative steps to conceal the felony. Precisely what constitutes active concealment is a question of fact that depends on the circumstances of the case. Lying to a police officer satisfies the requirement, but beyond that generally accepted rule, little is certain about the definition of active concealment.

          see also:

          Roberts v. United States, 445 U.S. 552, 100 S. Ct. 1358, 63 L. Ed. 2d 622 (1980)

          LL was right on both counts. It is a crime but difficult to prosecute.

          If you are going to post something to back up a claim it would be nice if you actually read it first.

          AC

  2. spsffan says:

    I’m willing to bet that 99% of all reports will be not out of concern about piracy, but rather just to get back at someone you don’t like or that did something nasty to you.

    While most of us are sympathetic to the actual creators of intellectual property, hardly anyone gives a rats rectum about the corporate entities that do the marketing and wind up with most of the money. So, good luck !

  3. #2- bobbo, OCCUPY DVORAK: what if "we-all" number our own posts and post seriatim ourselves? says:

    Its too bad the website couldn’t be flooded with tips about mortgage fraud, stock manipulations, kick backs, pork and such. And there should be.

    Still no prosecutions, and the unregulated risk taking continues apace.

    We’ve learned nothing. NOTHING!!!! One more can of whoop ass please.

  4. ABO says:

    Holder… such a turd. All hail the failed BO administration.

    Short list of starring players:

    The sleeveless first lady
    Van Jones
    Lucifer Clinton
    Joe Biden
    Eric Holder
    Neopolitano
    Sotomayor and that other ugly bitch he appointed…
    That inept moron in charge of technology

    God. The whole bunch of them just make me puke.

    • #5- bobbo, OCCUPY DVORAK: what if "we-all" number our own posts and post seriatim ourselves? says:

      I like Van Jones. What’s your Beef?

      Re Sotomayor and that other ugly bitch, haven’t heard much about them. Seem to be holding up their end of the 5-4 Split Court. What more could they do?

      • Somebody says:

        You’re just addicted to black c__k. SFU.

      • Somebody says:

        Just Kidding! I Keeed! I’m a Keeeeder! Ha Ha!

        Of course you have a right to your opinion and it’s even lucid sometimes!

        And I’m in no way trying to imply that black c__k is in any way inferior to any other.

        I’m reliably informed.

        Nor do I mean to disparage those who like it a lot.

        To quote the bi-curious Adam Curry: “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

        So Peace and Love to you all!

        (Uncle Dave, you can delete that now.)

        • #44- bobbo, OCCUPY DVORAK: what if "we-all" number our own posts and post seriatim ourselves? says:

          No beef, just pork then?

          Ha, ha.

  5. ECA says:

    WHO HERE UNDERSTANDS DIVIDE AND conquer?

    Its been happening for along time in this country.
    HOW to keep the people from grouping up and finding solutions….
    All it takes is a bit in Instigating, something strange to happen, then BLAME another group.
    Then allow laws to be created, that YOU THINK will hurt the other person MORE then yourself..and those controlling the situation, gain more power.

    YOU CANT blame others for OUR own failings..its just easier.
    much of this started after WWI, and got even worse after WWII. they learned lots from the wars..and the Gov/corps have used it many times and in many forms over the years.

    DONT BLAME US, Look at yourselves, and find the one YOU WANT responsible..

    YOU want a balanced vote?? KILL the reps/demos..STOP listening to them.(SHEEP)(they do the same thing, blame OTHERS)…
    WHO here, with a bit of tech knowledge and a small amount of programming, COULD NOT, make a 99% unhackable voting machine?
    Turn off the ports in the BIOS..
    TAKE out the drivers for the ports in LINUX(windows SUCKS) or 32bit dos..
    Write it in HTML or any of the scripts..and it works..
    Make it so IF the HD is removed, it scrambles/corrupts the drive..

    Why are there so many fails to create this?

  6. seetheblacksun says:

    I’m so glad “they” have their priorities in order.

  7. McCullough says:

    Yeah, from the mouth of the mastermind responsible for giving the Mexican drug cartels enough weapons to start a border war.

    How did we end up with these idiots? Oh yeah, Obama again.

  8. President Amabo & my wife Chewbacca (Give us a flat, chronological (civilised) comment view please) says:

    #17

    ABO – Since the beginning of the great Society we’ve been breeding for idiocy. This is the result. Kornbluth had it right and the morons have marched to the voting booth and created the modern Democratic party.

    Sit back, have a beer and watch it all go down in falmes and appreciate it for the entertainment value. Not much else left to do.

  9. Dallas says:

    As long as homosexual acts aren’t yet considered intellectual property crimes, I’m not too concerned. The 1% needs to defend against the 99% from ripping off their Lady Gaga tune.

    • jpfitz says:

      Your gonna be ratted on if Newt has his family values bullcrap made into legislation as POTUS. If, he wins the Presidential election. And FSM forbid.

    • Mextli: ABO says:

      Be assured there is no possibility of homosexual acts being associated with intellect in any way.

  10. Publius says:

    If you see something amiss with a government officer or official

    Say something

    TO WIKILEAKS

  11. scandihoovian says:

    I’d like to report record companies for creating shit CD’s with 2 crappy singles and charging $22. They screwed themselves out of the industry, quit crying and create a new revenue stream. Idiots.

  12. jpfitz says:

    It’s ok for Holder to give automatic weapons to drug cartels? As McCullough pointed out. But don’t download some soothing music, or your neighbor may turn you in.

    Divide and conquer indeed, ECA.
    F’in BOGATIVE.

    Let’s see if the RIAA and the MPAA sets up files as traps as they did with “The Hurt Locker”. Also don’t expect the local Police to be hauling you off, it’ll be the Marine’s knocking down your door because your are supporting terrorists. Shameful behavior by Barrys minions pitting citizen against citizen.

  13. Jim G says:

    Meh. Same old crap. * goes back to sortin and countin the ammo*

  14. AdmFubar says:

    cool now it is time to turn the tables…
    report your local authorities and elected officials!
    this will keep the courts busy for years… hell centuries

  15. Somebody says:

    As bad as Obama is, you’ve never heard me say that McCain would have been better.

    Not only is he a rabid war monger, he is now the proud sponsor of the Outrage of the Century. (So far)

    http://dailykos.com/story/2011/11/30/1041123/-McCain-Levin-Military-Detentions-Law-for-Americans-Clears-Path-for-Domestic-Assassinations

    As disgusting as the Beltway Bandits have been on IP – including the Monsanto outrages – this is far more serious.

    And it may not be the worse thing in the Defense Authorization.

    • jpfitz says:

      Agreed McCain would have bombed Iran by now, and is a serious hawk. Let’s hope Obama vetoes this serious affront to the Constitution know as S. 1867. This is serious shit.

  16. Glenn E. says:

    So we’ve officially moved into the realm of law enforcement not giving a sh*t about far more serious and violent crimes (as much), like drug running, as they do about the property and commodities of the very rich and various corporate empires. Not much of a surprise. In previous eras, law enforcement demonstrated more concern with the growth of organized labor, against the work place abuses of major industries, than with organized crime. Well it’s easier to club labor organizers than mobsters with Tommy guns. The hunt for “commies” in Hollywood, was more about stopping actors and film crews from getting the kinds of perks that movie directors enjoyed thru their own “guild” (another name for a union). No real “Reds” were ever found contaminating Hollywood. But scores of livelihoods and careers in the entertainment industry were ruined. But at least the wealth of major studios was preserved, in the short term. Of course, if the Black List hadn’t happened. Certain studios might not of gone into bankruptcy, due to keeping more hack writers employed, than good ones who had a social conscience. And BTW, former US President Ronald Reagan was one of those who saved his own ass, by ratting out other actors. And you think Herman Cain is despicable.

    During the post-depression era, the FBI got its start by going all out to defend the sloppy security measures of the Brink Company, and turned half of New York upside-down searching for the stolen loot. Regardless of violating everyone’s rights against illegal searches, as it was done without warrants of cars, trucks, and probably homes of ex-felons. Spending far more in man hours, than what was actually stolen. And the same could probably be said of Feds’ current concern of music and films. The lost is only a small dip in sales of legitimate product. Which is very subjectively projected, by the rights holders. But can’t be proven NOT to be also a be effected by economic decline.

    For example, I steal no music. But I also buy no music. So is it defacto that I MUST be stealing music, since I buy none? The RIAA apparently thinks so. Thus they have the feds defending their financial miscalculations, in backing Gangsta Rap and Lady Gaga, over more acceptable music. It would cost the taxpayer more in man hours, and court fees, to try and prove that whatever I have digital copies of might be illegal, than what actually cost any label in sales they didn’t make. As I’m certain it is with 99% of old music collectors. So this is a completely ridiculous waste of taxpayer funds, in the pursuit of protecting tiny sales margins of the music monopolies. But what else is new?

  17. theendishere! says:

    The seventh sign of the apocolips has arrived. Look up
    Doggie Do game…. ARGGGGGGGGHHH!

  18. KMFIX says:

    They really want a revolution.

  19. Glenn E. says:

    BTW, in case you doubted what I said about Valium use, in the military.

    http://cchrint.org/tag/valium/

    • jpfitz says:

      Valium is candy compared to Oxycontin. A good portion of the young going into battle are already pillheads. Though mixing the drugs I’ve mentioned is a recipe for disaster.

  20. soundwash says:

    HOW ABOUT first, the government return the collective “IP” of all the suppressed technology and real history it has stolen and stashed away in the name of “national security” to the people before it continues its divide and conquer tyranny on the people by further by coaxing them to be mindless snitches for the now worthless USD for which it is also 100% responsible for destroying?

    The nerve.

    -s

  21. Lou Minatti says:

    I am not sure why you Barack Obama fans are complaining. You got what you wanted, so suck it up and quit your whining.

    • msbpodcast says:

      Boy Lou, you’ve gota real hard on for blaming everything on Obama, don’ cha?

      Many of the problems we’re struggling with go back even further than that.

      The health care debacle goes back to Nixon picking Humana to take care of our health, when it really taking care of Humana’s bottom line by making all employers pay for health care.

      Absolutely every other nation to the north, south, east and west of the US that isn’t some third world cesspit has single payer health care.

      Why is the US’s health care delivery on par with Haiti’s and Zimbabwe’s? Because we only look at the very short term*. Americans absolutely stink at risk assessment and decision making.

      Why are we dying of fat?

      Because we never questioned the wisdom of Earl Butz and the switching over to mono-cultures, feed-lots factory farms, and basing the entire food industry on corn.

      Why is Bis-Phenol-A** present in the cells of every living human being on the planet?

      Because we never questioned the wisdom of putting something non-biodegradable on the inside of our food cans.

      Why is a maintenance problem in a single food processing plant suddenly responsable for deaths all over the country?

      Because in our “winner take all” mentality we never questioned if we weren’t placing our food production at bigger risk.

      There examples of such systemantic failures all over the economy.

      The biggest myth of American management is that there is any.

      *) Thinking only one move ahead wins you absolutely no games of chess and make you the pawn of every punk who can see a few more possibilities.

      **) Nota good thing.

    • ubiquitous talking head says:

      Shut up. This is the legacy of Dick “He’s A Killer” Cheny.

  22. You says:

    Senators trying to turn USA into “battlefield” to deploy US military in YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

    http://aclu.org/blog/national-security/senators-demand-military-lock-american-citizens-battlefield-they-define-being

  23. Jim says:

    I understand that Obama says he will veto it. I’m sure that the Fox repulicons will drag him through the mud for being soft on terror.

    • dittmv says:

      He will veto it the same way Bush vetoed most things, with a signing statement.

  24. I. P. Notsofreely says:

    Let’s see, now. Terrorist leaders are rich people trying to force (or con) the poor people into harming each other (and, if possible, themselves at the same time). Government leaders are rich people trying to force (or con) the poor people into harming each other (and, if possible, themselves at the same time). Corporate leaders are rich people trying to force (or con) the poor people into harming each other (and, if possible, themselves at the same time). Yeah, I’m starting to get the picture now.

    (quietly sharpens machete)

  25. President Amabo & my wife Chewbacca (Give us a flat, chronological (civilised) comment view please) says:

    Dvorak Uncensored implemented an unusable comment system that could only actually work for terrorists. I’m turning you all in!!!!

  26. Anonymous says:

    In the U.S., Europe, and possibly other regions, it’s all about “me first” and “you last”. Just take a drive somewhere (there’s traffic) if you need proof. It’s the ugly side of humanity.

    Therefore, why shouldn’t we snitch on each other? All this dipstick (Eric Holder) is doing is pandering to the masses and telling us that it’s OK to screw each other – which is pretty much what most of us want to do anyway.

    In fact, I bet if there were no laws preventing it, many of you would probably prefer killing that next SOB who cuts you off in traffic or expresses a different political opinion.

    “The problem is not in our stars – it’s in ourselves!”

  27. Bob73 says:

    I’m sure that soon they’ll make it so that you can anonymously report anyone at all for anything your sick mind can make up. I get the impression that’s what Mr Holder would like.


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