[Foy]

The analogy is not totally off at all. Read the other comments. It's just a matter of perspective.

Also, those are $500m in alleged damages. There's quite a bit of controversy over whether pirates are actually lost sales. Additionally, many people resort to pirated copies in order to carry out their own "try before you buy" shopping strategy. :P

[Dove]

The analogy is not totally off at all. Read the other comments. It's just a matter of perspective.

I don't agree. Without intending to defend the US government, Sharia Law (or Megaupload for that matter), there is a significant distinction between the two cases: that the MPAA feels Megaupload is harming them directly.

You may not agree that they're right about that. You may think the damages amounts are silly. You might even think that the idea that there are any damages at all is a sign that someone doesn't get the information revolution. Leave that aside.

The MPAA thinks Megaupload is harming them directly, a viewpoint the justice system seems to share.

So, a more direct analogy would be a country with excessive pollution. Or a country with a lot of drug cartels that exports illegal substances or crime. Or a country that trains terrorists.

I'm not saying the MPAA is right. I'm definitely not saying the DOJ is right. I am saying that this is the class of problem that people go to war over, and it's unfair to characterize it as anything else.

[wpietri]

The analogy is pretty close. The Iranian mullahs would certainly feel that American corporations are polluting the minds of Iranian youth, harming them directly. So an equivalent American CEO might be Lori Greeley, CEO of Victoria's Secret.

[jlgreco]

Exactly. You don't have to be geographically present to "show skin". It's a 'crime' that works over the internet just as well as it works in meatspace.

[ttran4]

Thanks for the idea. Be on the look out for a new social network Meatspace.com coming soon.

[Foy]

I like the term "in meatspace". Haha! I think I've finally found a good replacement for "IRL".

[jlgreco]

Yeah, I use it because I rather dislike that phrase/acronym. ;)

[Dove]

True, though to the extent the mullahs believe that, they also want to blow us up.

What I'm really saying is this is more than disliking how a country on the other side of the globe does things. When citizens bicker with each other, you see one side of government. When foreigners harm citizens? You see a completely different side.

I'm not saying what the US did is right. But I am saying it is expected, given how they perceive the situation. Your-people-are-hurting-my-people is the sort of problem resolved with treaties, covert military action, or outright wars. Gloves come off as the government does what it has to to make it stop.

If you're the sort of person that thinks piracy doesn't hurt anyone, the situation is a tragic misunderstanding. But you can also expect more tragedy as a result of the misunderstanding because of the class of problem it is.

[ttran4]

But whose the victim in this case? There's no monetary or physical damages in women showing skin. One law is based on belief and the other is in settling a somewhat reasonable claim.

[wpietri]

There are no physical or direct monetary damages to the MPAA, either. Intellectual property is just as based on belief as the Iranian desire to maintain a pure culture.

[pi18n]

The MPAA thinks that Mega is harming them directly under US law. I'm sure that other entities of other countries feel similar about their own laws.

[ttran4]

One scenario has a victim and the other is solely based on beliefs. The whole case with Megaupload is about the MPAA claiming that they are a victim of piracy. I understand that everyone has an different opinion on this case, that's why there is a case to begin with. IMO I don't believe that there should be a case to begin with but when there's half a billion dollars that is claimed as lost it's enough to look into it.

[bandushrew]

So the only thing that matters is how much is claimed ?

I mean, I could easily claim that my company has lost a full billion dollars because of the way you run your business.

Should that mean I should be able to get the our local cops to travel to your country, shut down your business, bring you back here to new zealand, put you in prison, and then charge you with a crime?

this thing is an absolute travesty for anyone who cares about justice, due process or the rule of law.

As far as I can see, the only thing more embarrassing than the way the USA has behaved in this case, is the way my country is doing its best to bare its buttocks to make the whole thing more comfortable.

[pessimizer]

Both scenarios have victims, and both are solely based on beliefs.

[Foy]

+1, it's all a matter of perspective.