No Duty to Secure Wi-Fi from BitTorrent Pirates

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What's this? A judge using common sense in a file sharing case? How is this even possible? :eek:

A crucial ruling in one of the ongoing BitTorrent lawsuits in the United States has delivered a clear win for open Wi-Fi operators. Among other things, California Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled that Internet subscribers are not required to secure their wireless networks to prevent outsiders from pirating movies. In other words, people can’t be held liable for the alleged infringements of other people on their network.
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That would be like suing a gas station for unknowingly providing fuel to a thief's vehicle.
 
I foresee a thread about how to, and if needed what firmware to use, to be able to set up your router like:
Out of 5/2.4/3.6Ghz one or two are open, but capped, and one or two are wpa2 and used by the members of the household.
 
Its a big deal, not so much for home users, but for open wifi access points in general.

If I have a little coffee shop for example and would like to lure in customers with a free wifi hotspot, a law that said they were liable for the online activities of anyone using the connection would instantly spell an end to finding places with free wifi the way there's free air and water at some stations and the like.
 
Free air and water at stations? :confused: Isn't air pretty much free all the time and water is like not usually something you hafta pay that much for at home unless you buy bottled water.
 
Ducman69 said:
Gas stations. Herpderp.
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Oh...now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen that kinda stuff for free. It's like a dollar in quarters or something at their machine. Whatever...I've never really had to use one of those machines anyway.
 
What's with this website does it have a fetish with "internet Pirates" Because that's all I here around here?

I thinks HardOCP should loose the warez hardOn!

:rolleyes:
 
Alpert said:
What's with this website does it have a fetish with "internet Pirates" Because that's all I here around here?

I thinks HardOCP should loose the warez hardOn!

:rolleyes:
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They report technology. This is related. Plus, I don't think they have a hard on for pirates, but more a hard on for the bullshit tactics of the mpaa/riaa. This isn't supporting the pirates, its stating that the pirates are responsible for their actions and not just what the entertainment lawyers find most convenient (owner of ip#).
 
Alpert said:
What's with this website does it have a fetish with "internet Pirates" Because that's all I here around here?

I thinks HardOCP should loose the warez hardOn!

:rolleyes:
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That's totally untrue defamation! You're ignoring all the Apple and Facebook threads :p
 
Alpert said:
What's with this website does it have a fetish with "internet Pirates" Because that's all I here around here?

I thinks HardOCP should loose the warez hardOn!

:rolleyes:
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What?

The whole piracy issue have been taken way too far the MPAA RIAA expects everyone to go out of their way to prevent piracy. Why should any Wi Fi operator care about it? Its not their problem. Don't expect the entire world to go out of their way to prevent piracy.

It is a big issue in tech news, and rulings like this one is important.

If you wonder why piracy keeps popping up among tech news, blame the RIAA and MPAA for all the retarded stuff they are doing.
 
SkribbelKat said:
Oh...now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen that kinda stuff for free. It's like a dollar in quarters or something at their machine. Whatever...I've never really had to use one of those machines anyway.
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Because you're probably too young to remember when it was free :). I used to fill up my bike tires at the gas station all the time... free air free water... yeah they aren't free for the gas station (air compressor needs electricity etc) but there was a time when it'd just be called good business to help out people without feeling the need to charge a fee for them.

Who knows maybe back in the good old days gas revenue partially went to the gas station owners *shrug*
 
Gas stations where I am don't offer free air no more. It's a couple of quarters for a charge. I never saw a free water.... anything at gas stations. I am on the younger side though, I guess. Maybe that's why.

On topic: Nice verdict.
 
Serpent said:
Gas stations where I am don't offer free air no more. It's a couple of quarters for a charge. I never saw a free water.... anything at gas stations. I am on the younger side though, I guess. Maybe that's why.

On topic: Nice verdict.
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Yeah we don't have free air/water here in Dallas. I remember when I was a kid it used to be free. All these stores ever think anymore is that if someone wants it, we can charge for it. Either that or it helps to defray costs of maintaining the equipment; I'm not sure about where you live but half of these air/water machines are peices of crap b/c people treat them that way.
 
Would that not be like holding the people who operate toll roads responsible for someone using a toll road to rob a bank?

Would that not be like holding a city responsible for assisting drug dealers flush evidence down the toilet when the police come knocking? (had to find a reference w/ tubes)
 
chrispix said:
Would that not be like holding the people who operate toll roads responsible for someone using a toll road to rob a bank?

Would that not be like holding a city responsible for assisting drug dealers flush evidence down the toilet when the police come knocking? (had to find a reference w/ tubes)
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You could say it's like blaming a farmer for murder because they found the body in his irrigation tubes.
 
I'm not sure where anyone is getting this as pro-pirate/the [H] supports pirates. It's pro-not-get-f*cked-in-the-ass-for-what-someone-else-did.

This is really more a victory for e.g. the local coffee shop, as stated - home users should secure their Wifi regardless, though they still shouldn't face criminal penalties for what others do with it.
 
SkribbelKat said:
Oh...now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen that kinda stuff for free. It's like a dollar in quarters or something at their machine. Whatever...I've never really had to use one of those machines anyway.
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You must not be that old then - hell, I'm only 30 but I remember as a kid most (if not all) gas stations, had free air and free water.

IMO -- this was the time before businesses realized they could nickel and dime customers *and* get away with it.
 
Holiday Gas Stations has free air.

And regarding the wifi deal, good for the ruling. It should also apply to the ISP too. They shouldn't have to clamp down or give in to the MAFFIA.
 
collegeboy69us said:
You must not be that old then - hell, I'm only 30 but I remember as a kid most (if not all) gas stations, had free air and free water.

IMO -- this was the time before businesses realized they could nickel and dime customers *and* get away with it.
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I'm an ancient Skribbel! I partied like it was 2010 when it actually still was 2010! I'm so old that I remember the iPhone 4 release...the original, not even the 4s! :eek: I'm so old I vaguely recall that there used to be something called MySpace that existed before Facebook!

Anyhow, it might just be due to the economy of my area too. Seattle-ish is pretty expensive and Washington has like some mandatory increase on minimum wage that makes it higher than the federal mandate so literally everything costs more and everyone's money has less buying power. Businesses kinda get moolah where they can to make up for expensive human labor.
 
ravx25 said:
Yeah we don't have free air/water here in Dallas. I remember when I was a kid it used to be free. All these stores ever think anymore is that if someone wants it, we can charge for it. Either that or it helps to defray costs of maintaining the equipment; I'm not sure about where you live but half of these air/water machines are peices of crap b/c people treat them that way.
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All the QT's I've been to have free air.
In fact there is one down the street I used 2 months ago.
 
collegeboy69us said:
You must not be that old then - hell, I'm only 30 but I remember as a kid most (if not all) gas stations, had free air and free water.

IMO -- this was the time before businesses realized they could nickel and dime customers *and* get away with it.
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Out here in California, most gas stations had free air years ago, but then the politicians got involved.

They passed a law requiring that all stations provide air, and they would be subject to fines if they didn’t.
The law also allowed them to charge for air.

To avoid being fined because their air wasn’t working, the stations instead contracted with the companies that provide the machines that charge air. This limited thier liability under the law, and reduced the number of free-loaders. Win-Win for the station.
 
I've never seen a gas station in Australia charge for air or water, lets hope it's is one of those Americanisms that stays in America :p I like being able to pull into a servo and check my tyres and clean the windows free of charge.
 
Tudz said:
I've never seen a gas station in Australia charge for air or water, lets hope it's is one of those Americanisms that stays in America :p I like being able to pull into a servo and check my tyres and clean the windows free of charge.
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Get ready because Australia is probably getting ready to tax it. And soon.
 
Tudz said:
I've never seen a gas station in Australia charge for air or water, lets hope it's is one of those Americanisms that stays in America :p I like being able to pull into a servo and check my tyres and clean the windows free of charge.
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same here in canada, never had a place charge me for air. Free air and free full serve are the two things I expect from my gas stations.
 
Ragenrok said:
same here in canada, never had a place charge me for air. Free air and free full serve are the two things I expect from my gas stations.
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Personally I prefer doing those myself. I'm not a lazy ass and am capable of doing it. I feel awkward sitting there while someone pumps gas and washes my windows and you're looking at them through the windshield.
 
Tudz said:
I've never seen a gas station in Australia charge for air or water, lets hope it's is one of those Americanisms that stays in America :p I like being able to pull into a servo and check my tyres and clean the windows free of charge.
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File for patents on the process and supporting equipment in Australia! License the technology! Get rich!
 
SkribbelKat said:
Oh...now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen that kinda stuff for free. It's like a dollar in quarters or something at their machine. Whatever...I've never really had to use one of those machines anyway.
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I see it all the time, air can cost though. Water is hard to come bye, you mostly find it at truck stops. Its really important to me to find water; so i can water the cows i am transporting.
 
itomwisp said:
I see it all the time, air can cost though. Water is hard to come bye, you mostly find it at truck stops. Its really important to me to find water; so i can water the cows i am transporting.
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I'm going to have to start looking for those kinds of things more. I wouldn't be surprised not to see much water around. Aisde from water for livestock, why would people really need enough of it for a bottle not to be enough for a drink?
 
SkribbelKat said:
I'm going to have to start looking for those kinds of things more. I wouldn't be surprised not to see much water around. Aisde from water for livestock, why would people really need enough of it for a bottle not to be enough for a drink?
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Actually when I got to the US the first time I filled up at a servo I accidently spilled some gas on my paintwork, oops, so I went looking for water and there was none to be found, ended up pouring some bottled water on it. In Oz they typically have a big bucket of water with a wiper to clean your windows and another big watering can style plastic container for, well, I dunno, I use it to wash the fuel off the side of my car when I spill it :p
 
/usr/home said:
Personally I prefer doing those myself. I'm not a lazy ass and am capable of doing it. I feel awkward sitting there while someone pumps gas and washes my windows and you're looking at them through the windshield.
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oh I just go stand in line to pay, if theres no line I read the front page of my local paper (buy it if its good lol). I dont like/trust pay at the pumps so i always go inside to pay anyways.
 
Tudz said:
Actually when I got to the US the first time I filled up at a servo I accidently spilled some gas on my paintwork, oops, so I went looking for water and there was none to be found, ended up pouring some bottled water on it. In Oz they typically have a big bucket of water with a wiper to clean your windows and another big watering can style plastic container for, well, I dunno, I use it to wash the fuel off the side of my car when I spill it :p
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I've seen the wiper things for window cleaning at a lot of gas stations, but never just water. I also have spilled gas on the side of my car, but I didn't think it mattered if it stayed there. The only thing that really bad that might happen is a fire.
 
SkribbelKat said:
I've seen the wiper things for window cleaning at a lot of gas stations, but never just water. I also have spilled gas on the side of my car, but I didn't think it mattered if it stayed there. The only thing that really bad that might happen is a fire.
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It probably won't, I was just taught to be safe and get it off rather than potentially letting it stain the paint. My car in Oz had a really shitty paint job (well, the paint job was good, but the clear was terrible) so I was always careful with that not to let anything sit on it that could get into the paint because the clear itself didn't protect much. I think if the paint was done properly to start with, gas won't harm it.

Granted I didn't spill gas on it often :p just the couple of times I did I just grabbed the bucket of water and cleaned it off before it had a chance to dry and find out whether or not it'd damage the paintwork.
 
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