Neopian Times Editorial

o_0 · **Posted:** Sat May 14, 2005 7:59 am

Quote:

Mr Chipper's species is not tied to any particular plot. Instead it is part of something special that will be released in the Summer.

In other words...

Rare item code time!!!

Butterflyhornet · **Posts:** 801 **Joined:** Wed Dec 15, 2004 8:15 pm

The ps 2 game, or the cell phone thing I read off of neocolours?

Anoohilator · **Posted:** Sat May 14, 2005 5:47 pm

valerielundberg wrote:

Not that I approve of those using programs (I don't...) but I just have to chime in and say this is just a scare tactic.

There is no way they could fine users on a global scale. Not everything runs according to the United States sue-crazy law-system. You think they could actually enforce someone in another country to pay some insane fine? The fact is, the game is global, and laws differ from place to place. Their hands are tied, they just don't want anyone to know that.

A good example: Someone in a file sharing hub here (Sweden is BIG on file sharing) got an angry letter from DreamWorks Pictures in regards to a certain movie being shared....take a peek at the letter.

I'll bleep out some of the bad words to make it suitable for here...

> August 23, 2004
>
>
> VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
> AND U.S. MAIL
>
> ThePirateBay.org
> Box 1206
> Stockholm 11479
> SWEDEN
>
>
> Re: Unauthorized Use of DreamWorks SKG Properties
> http://www.thepiratebay.org
>
> To Whom It May Concern:
>
> This letter is being written to you on behalf of our
> client, DreamWorks SKG (hereinafter "DreamWorks").
> DreamWorks is the exclusive owner of all copyright,
> trademark and other intellectual property rights in
> and to the "Shrek 2" motion picture. No one is
> authorized to copy, reproduce, distribute, or
> otherwise use the "Shrek 2" motion picture without
> the express written permission of DreamWorks.
[...]
> As you may be aware, Internet Service Providers can
> be held liable if they do not respond to claims of
> infringement pursuant to the requirements of the
> Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In
> accordance with the DMCA, we request your assistance
> in the removal of infringements of the "Shrek 2"
> motion picture from this web site and any other sites
> for which you act as an Internet Service Provider.
> We further declare under penalty of perjury that we
> are authorized to act on behalf of DreamWorks and
> that the information in this letter is accurate.
> Please contact me immediately to discuss this matter
> further.

The response:

As you may or may not be aware, Sweden is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden is a country in northern Europe.

Unless you figured it out by now, US law does not apply here.
For your information, no Swedish law is being violated.

Please be assured that any further contact with us, regardless of medium,
will result in
a) a suit being filed for harassment
b) a formal complaint lodged with the bar of your legal counsel, for
sending frivolous legal threats.

It is the opinion of us and our lawyers that you are *bleep* morons, and
that you should please go *bleep* yourself with retractable batons.

Please also note that your e-mail and letter will be published in full on
http://www.thepiratebay.org.

Go *bleeeeep* yourself.

Polite as usual,
anakata

Needless to say, they didn't write back, because, just like Neo, it was all a scare tactic....their hands are tied as well. Thus is the glory of globilization. Thinking you can control legal matters in all of the world in a farce.

Hehe tha's brilliant - it's put a big smile on my face

ocean_wave · **Posts:** 421 **Joined:** Mon Jun 14, 2004 8:08 pm

Anoohilator wrote:

Hehe tha's brilliant - it's put a big smile on my face

mine too! thanks valerie

guess I overreacted, lol
but does that mean, if you're in America where the laws do apply, you will get fined? or is it all just an empty threat?

valerielundberg · **Posted:** Sat May 14, 2005 11:59 pm

ocean_wave wrote:

Anoohilator wrote:

Hehe tha's brilliant - it's put a big smile on my face

mine too! thanks valerie

guess I overreacted, lol
but does that mean, if you're in America where the laws do apply, you will get fined? or is it all just an empty threat?

You know how America is, anything is possible when it comes to the judicial system. If people can sue McDonald's for making them fat and their coffee being too hot, anything can happen.

I still think trying to uphold that case in court, even on US soil would be a tough job, especially considering the age of most players who would be involved. And like I said on the global scale, they just can't get that to fly. The day Neo gets five grand off of someone living on Christmas Island is the day I unplug my internet connection, seriously. :lol:

I'm all for stopping scammers and cheat programmers, but demanding "fees" and "fines"...not only do I think it's overkill, I also think it isn't really rational, logical, or achieveable. *shrug* :roll:

Nani · **Posted:** Sun May 15, 2005 10:33 am

valerielundberg wrote:

As you may or may not be aware, Sweden is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden is a country in northern Europe.

That made me laugh. :lol:

Val, I agree with your point, too. There's absolutely no way they're going to do anything about it.

Now if only Cafepress ran under our principles...

Qanda · **Posted:** Sun May 15, 2005 10:46 am

Anoohilator wrote:

valerielundberg wrote:

The response:

As you may or may not be aware, Sweden is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden is a country in northern Europe.

Unless you figured it out by now, US law does not apply here.
For your information, no Swedish law is being violated.

Please be assured that any further contact with us, regardless of medium,
will result in
a) a suit being filed for harassment
b) a formal complaint lodged with the bar of your legal counsel, for
sending frivolous legal threats.

It is the opinion of us and our lawyers that you are *bleep* morons, and
that you should please go *bleep* yourself with retractable batons.

Please also note that your e-mail and letter will be published in full on
http://www.thepiratebay.org.

Go *bleeeeep* yourself.

Polite as usual,
anakata

Hehe tha's brilliant - it's put a big smile on my face

I, on the other hand, found the reply unnecessarily inflammatory and crude. After all, they were promoting piracy.

Jazzy · **Posts:** 22 **Joined:** Mon Sep 06, 2004 9:42 am

You know what? When it costs $12.50 to go to my local cinema and $40 for a normal DVD, I don't care one iota about piracy any more. When they lower prices to acceptable, affordable levels, *then* I'll go to the cinema or buy DVDs.

However, I probably wouldn't have sworn at the lawyers, I would probably have been condescendingly nice.

valerielundberg · **Posted:** Mon May 16, 2005 4:42 am

Jazzy wrote:

You know what? When it costs $12.50 to go to my local cinema and $40 for a normal DVD, I don't care one iota about piracy any more. When they lower prices to acceptable, affordable levels, *then* I'll go to the cinema or buy DVDs.

However, I probably wouldn't have sworn at the lawyers, I would probably have been condescendingly nice.

I hear your point.

It's more of a cultural thing though....a bit hard to explain.

See, swedes all speak English fluently, it's a mandatory second language. However, they don't understand how "serious" our curse words are, and use them pretty commonly blended in their own language. In the Swedish language, words they consider "curse" words aren't really that at all, at least not to any main extreme like it is for us. Any curse word (in English or Swedish) is perfectly acceptable to even be said by a child in public with no social repercissions....so they just don't "understand" the levity of telling someone to go...erm, smurf off....

I have a difficult problem with this myself, since I spend a quarter of every year back at home in Texas....my 4-year old son often uses the f-word, the s-word etc, and I've been trying my darndest to tell him while it is acceptable in Sweden, saying that in the states will raise some pretty big eyebrows in the grocery store in Dallas.

But they do use it REALLY freely...you should have seen my jaw drop at school this year when one of my teachers (after hearing I signed up for Psychology instead of his History class at the beginning of the year) told me: "Why the *bleep* would you take that? Are you *bleeping* me? You gotta be *bleeping* crazy!"

He's a sweet elderly gentleman. XD Hearing those words come out of his mouth floored me.

He was just kidding around, but still, these folks have no idea the weight those words carry.

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