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NCC attacks anti-file sharing letters

5 April 2008 21:19 by James "Dela" Delahunty | 6 comments

The Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) is advising Internet users not to sign letters admitting guilt for sharing movies on P2P networks. Some file sharers have been targeted with letters from Norway's Simonsen Advokatfirma DA on behalf of the movie industry, but these letters have all only reached ISPs so far, who have yet to budge.

The law firm wants the ISPs to forward the letters on to the users in question, who presumably are only known by Internet Protocol (IP) address now. The Norwegian ISP industry association is currently advising all of its members not to forward the letters to its customers at this point.

If they did actually reach a user, then the NCC advises the user not to sign them. "The statement deprives the consumer of due process and puts him in a state of critical legal uncertainty, with practically unlimited legal responsibility. We cannot imagine that this law firm would ever advise their own clients to sign such a letter!"

As well as admitting guilt, a user who signs is also making a pledge not to engage in illicit file-swapping again. The NCC notes that copyright needs to be protected and respected, but that only a court of law can determined questions of guilt, innocence, and penalties. It takes the stance that punishing users for mere allegations of file-sharing would be a "violation of that person's human right to participate in society."

You might remember the NCC for its award-winning campaign against anti-consumer elements of the iTunes music store, which included potential license changes for already-purchased music and the iPod-iTunes exclusivity tie. That campaign was named the "European Consumer Campaign of the Year" by the EU after its efforts spread to other nations, eventually encouraging Apple to make some changes.

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Permalink to this article

Controversial intellectual property treaty being drafted in secret (27 May 2008)

Amazon MP3 is having no effect on iTunes, says NPD (15 April 2008)

Norwegian broadcasting company shares TV series via BitTorrent (30 January 2008)

Dutch agency files complaint against iTunes (26 January 2007)

Norway threatens Apple with legal action over iTunes (25 January 2007)

Norwegian Consumer Council will continue fight over iTunes (4 August 2006)

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Discuss this article!
iluvendo (AfterDawn Addict) 6 April 2008 2:18
Good for the NCC!!! [ + quote]
A_Klingon (Moderator) 6 April 2008 11:44
It's amazing, don't you think, that anyone with half-a-marble in their head, would freely admit to a law firm that he or she might have downloaded a movie? Hi there! How are you today? Lovely weather we've been having lately, eh? Oh by the way, have you ever managed to download a movie here or there? Uhhh,... we'll yeah, I guess so - just maybe once or twice, I think. DING-DING-DING!! Alert! Alert! Admission Of Guilt! HOME PIRATE! SUE! SUE! SUE! I think it's an even more ballsy, and/or bonehead question for an attorney to be asking in the first place. Perhaps this law firm feels that some of us just 'fell off the turnip truck', I guess. Duhhhhhhh..... [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 6 April 2008 11:51
DXR88 (Member) 6 April 2008 17:31
Haha, A_Klingon Your funny. but yeah you make a very good point. Almost like an undercover Cop asking a robber how much he managed to steal today. [ + quote]
susieqbbb (Member) 8 April 2008 3:07
Now think about this what kind of stupid person is going to admit they pirated something on top of that how many people would sign such a letter and in a country where everything is pirated to movies to even software and video games do to the fact they are to expensive would even admit they pirated something. [ + quote]
zorb43 (Newbie) 14 April 2008 7:37
*Originally posted by A_Klingon:* It's amazing, don't you think, that anyone with half-a-marble in their head, would freely admit to a law firm that he or she might have downloaded a movie? Hi there! How are you today? Lovely weather we've been having lately, eh? Oh by the way, have you ever managed to download a movie here or there? Uhhh,... we'll yeah, I guess so - just maybe once or twice, I think. DING-DING-DING!! Alert! Alert! Admission Of Guilt! HOME PIRATE! SUE! SUE! SUE! I think it's an even more ballsy, and/or bonehead question for an attorney to be asking in the first place. Perhaps this law firm feels that some of us just 'fell off the turnip truck', I guess. Duhhhhhhh..... That reminds me ... I used to make the best stew with a chuck roast, onions, carrots and lots of nice turnips I got fresh from the roadside stand here in Slidell Louisiana ... Yummy, you are making me hungry ! [ + quote]
A_Klingon (Moderator) 14 April 2008 9:19
*Quote:* ...That reminds me ... I used to make the best stew with a chuck roast, onions, carrots and lots of nice turnips I got fresh from the roadside stand here in Slidell Louisiana ... Yummy, you are making me hungry ! Oh, yes! You got all the basic, good stuff there. Beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, and turnips. ALL this stuff tastes 100% better when you get it from a roadside vegetable stand or country fair rather than your local supermarket. And don't forget to add (maybe) a half-cabbage in there, and believe it or not, you might want to dump in a can or two of beef gravy into the mix (makes a BIG difference sometimes). We'll have to come up with some tasty high-definition recipies for our members, zorb43, and feature them in a new section called "The AfterDawn Kitchen", waddaya think? (Klingons look weird in an apron though). :-P Pain-Print-C10117798.jpeg" border=0> [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14 April 2008 9:24