Horrifying: Surfthechannel Criminal Conviction Driven By Hollywood Money -- Not The Government

well this is scary, private "CRIMINAL" convictions for hollywood?

is this law for hire?

We've been following the Surfthechannel/Scopelight case since early on, and there have always been serious questions about it. More than three years ago, we were wondering why a private, Hollywood-financed anti-piracy operation called FACT wasn't just able to take part in the raid of Anton Vickerman's house, but also got to take the computers that were seized. A private party should never be able to get the computers of those that they're accusing in a criminal case. Soon after Vickerman was declared guilty, we discussed some anonymous courtroom notes that suggested extremely serious oddities with how the case was conducted -- including (again) FACT more or less running the show, and having trouble keeping important data.

Following Vickerman's sentencing last week, even more info came out about the case that raises incredibly important questions about its validity. Tim Lee over at Ars Technica has gone through the issue in great detail, highlighting how FACT didn't just take part in the raid, but it financed the government agency that did the investigation and then financed and ran the criminal prosecution against Vickerman.

t echdirt

so now companies can "pay" to investigate and convict you of a crime if i is profitable to do so?

Lee explains that this is an oddity/antiquity of UK law

so how many other countries have this "odd law" ?

is that how the legal system should be used?
for copywrite trolling for profit?

ars tenica

it would seem hollowood is not your friend,
shame to see law and order misused for profit of copy barrons.

i hope this stops.\

xploder

this story is worrying. if you go to www.surfthechannel.com, you can read vickermans side of the story, illegal searches, removal of evidence from a crime scene, surveillance all done by FACT's private paid cops - before the law was even informed.

british justice is dead for the man in the street. if you've got the money, you can do whatever you want.

four years in prison? peados get less.

disgusting.