from Hacker News

City of London Police Launch Intellectual Property Crime Unit

by jjp9999 on 9/14/13, 2:27 PM with 53 comments

  • by r0h1n on 9/14/13, 4:34 PM

    Wow, that was fast. Just a day ago the UK PM, David Cameron, appointed an ex-music industry executive as his "IP advisor" - http://www.managingip.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3254862

  • by DanBC on 9/14/13, 4:45 PM

    So, the police should only be getting involved in copyright infringement when done as trade, right? right? They seem to be keeping that bit quiet.

    See section 198 of the relevant law, which is clear about the need for business to be involved for a criminal offence. (http://www.ipo.gov.uk/cdpact1988.pdf)

    See section 7 (http://copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law) - where they don't mention "trading", which is what tips it into a criminal, rather than civil, offence.

    See also section 8, which doesn't mention "format shifting" - it's not legal to rip a CD that you buy to MP3, but this is changing. (Or has changed?) (http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/20/uk-copyright-la...)

  • by m010001 on 9/14/13, 3:28 PM

    I don't like the BPI, they investigated me and made me take my website down (they came to my house, it was a fun day).

    However, I must credit them as they warn people before taking them to court. So, if you're a website owner in the UK. I'm just giving you a heads up to say that if you're being investigated, they will probably contact you in person.

    I do think the BPI have definately gone too far, they currently trying to get Grooveshark blocked from popular UK ISPs. The BPI only exists to monopolize the music industry.

  • by Blahah on 9/14/13, 3:18 PM

    I skipped the word 'property' on my first take...

    > UK Launches Intellectual Crime Unit

    Mistake or premonition?

  • by regularfry on 9/14/13, 3:17 PM

    > The unit will also be focused on influencing online behaviour by site owners, service providers and consumers through education, prevention and enforcement activity, and providing offenders where appropriate with opportunities to accept restorative justice.

    Er... is that implying that a police unit is being given judicial powers?

  • by w1ntermute on 9/14/13, 5:23 PM

    Note that the "City of London"[0] is a city within Greater London.

    0: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_london

  • by misnome on 9/14/13, 6:45 PM

    Pretty hilarious, given that this just came up on the BBC also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24094435 - using fonts without permission ("The Home Office said it was trying to contact the copyright owner to reach an agreement.").

  • by eikenberry on 9/14/13, 5:59 PM

  • by UVB-76 on 9/14/13, 2:50 PM

    Press Release from the City of London Police with more information: http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/CityPolice/Departments/ECD...

  • by touristtam on 9/14/13, 4:20 PM

    er .. ok, what a waste of public money. really.

  • by Create on 9/14/13, 6:45 PM

    Did You Say “Intellectual Property”? It's a Seductive Mirage

    The distorting and confusing term did not become common by accident.

    The term “intellectual property” is at best a catch-all to lump together disparate laws. Nonlawyers who hear one term applied to these various laws tend to assume they are based on a common principle and function similarly.

    Nothing could be further from the case. These laws originated separately, evolved differently, cover different activities, have different rules, and raise different public policy issues.

    https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html

  • by jwatte on 9/14/13, 7:41 PM

    Would you like some Pirate Cinema with that?