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192 Comments
- marky125, on 10/12/2007, -18/+200As an Australian citizen, I am disgusted by this. I wish our government would stop bowing to the US Government's every whim :(
- sonycam, on 10/12/2007, -2/+68"International copyright violations are a great problem. However, there is also the consideration that a country must protect its nationals from being removed from their homeland to a foreign country merely because the commercial interests of that foreign country are claimed to have been affected by the person's behaviour"
This totally sums it up. I wonder if the US would send their citizens to a European country for the same offence? - Jakerius, on 10/12/2007, -15/+68Crikey
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -14/+58fkr3. I honestly doubt you're Australian as you used the incorrect and illogical American bastardization of the phrase "I COULDN'T care less"
- coolian, on 10/12/2007, -6/+50Looks like there's some competition among some nations to be the US's bitch - first the UK, now Australia.
- rabwah, on 10/12/2007, -4/+45That sucks. Though I am very much against piracy, giving up your own countryman was shameless and a coward act.
- maglob, on 10/12/2007, -15/+48@cptamerica
Yes good point, nukes will solve everything *eyes roll* - Nico_, on 10/12/2007, -11/+41I'm disgusted by this as well. It pisses me off that the USA wants an Australian citizen to serve time in their country but when it comes time for an American to do his or her time somewhere else then they get all protective of their citizens. Not to mention that they don't even recognize the international courts.
What an ass backwards country. Their full of themselves and all they think about is themselves and their interests. Only thing that country's government is good for is starting wars and killing people. - Zettabyte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+30This person is doing 10 long years for software piracy. Never physically hurt anyone, However what does a rapists, drug dealer, etc. get? A 10 months to 6 years prison sentence. Bloody *****, I'm sick of these corporations ***** people in the arse. The MAXIMUM he should of got was at least a fine or 1 to 3 months in gaol.
- Rammsteined, on 10/12/2007, -1/+30It doesn't matter what he did, Australia is his country, this is where he should be trailed. If he was physically present in the USA when he committed a crime, that's another story, but he wasn't.
- BlackAdderIII, on 10/12/2007, -1/+29WTF, why are Australian courts not good enough to deal with their own citizens?
People in free, civilised countries are supposed to be protected from extradition to where the death penalty and torture are implemented. It's the duty of their government and judiciary to implement that protection.
People being extradited from the country they were born in, despite and against the laws of the country they were born in, for crimes alleged to have happened in their own country, that's weird.
What exactly is the point in paying taxes your whole life to a government that bows down and turns you over to whatever mickey mouse foreign legal system feels like it? Idiocy. - ybisme, on 10/12/2007, -5/+31The elections are coming....
hopefully rudds face isn't as far up americas ass as howards was. - Fordi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+27@captainamerica:
I appreciate your flip, but there is a real problem here: The USA is not lord over the whole world unless the rest of the world decides it is. That the UK and Australian governments are, effectively, doing so is quite truly disturbing to the native populations.
That said, hey, guys? Get rid of Blair and Howard. Replace them with actual politicians. We'll work on taking care of Bush and his ilk over here. Deal? - axeland, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28would US do the same thing if it were in aussies place? I don't think so.
- CaptSolo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27"I am an Australian expat, resident for some years in New Zealand, and have broken no laws of this land.
But New Zealand has an extradition treaty with China.
I've done some work - totally within New Zealand - on anonymous publishing and encryption software, and shared it freely with the world. What I've done is totally legal here, but it's likely I've infringed on numerous sections of the Chinese criminal code.
So theoretically, the Chinese Govt could file a request to the New Zealand government for my extradition. The only thing that stops them is that my part in developing this software has been pretty small, and likely hasn't presented a huge obstacle to domestic Chinese law enforcement. I'm pretty small fry. But if any of my code, for instance, gave Falun Gong or pro-democracy protestors a huge advantage in concealing their activities from the Chinese authorities, I could be looking at a long holiday at the Beijing Hilton :( "
Found this similarity in a /. comment on this issue. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24AH, Brisbane. That explains it! :)
But is certainly doesn't mean the same thing. One is the exact opposite of the other.
As for your comment, I agree, He broke the law, he should pay. But unless he actually broke it while in a US state or protectorate he shouldn't be extradited, tried or imprisoned there! - BlackAdderIII, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19That's retarded, you can't be extradited to other countries just because something you do in your own country is against their laws!.
Shall we start extraditing all the dope smokers wandering around Amsterdam to Indonesia?
Maybe we should extradite all the women wearing miniskirts to Iran? Hey, they broke the laws of another country - death penalty is only fitting.
Pretty soon, all nations swap populations and everyone on the planet goes to jail. w00t.
Silly misunderstanding of what extradition is for. Libraries and Google are your friends. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18She was from aust and caught in a country (Bali) where the severe penalty for possession is known everywhere! If the bitch didn't want to spend her life behind bars in a stinking Bali prison then she shouldn't have attempted to smuggle the dope into their country!
Shes damn lucky she didn't get the death penalty!! - defdef, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19I am an American, and please dont be disillusioned. We hate this crap just as much...nay, MORE than you do. I dont know that there remains any Americans left that aren't anti-RIAA, unfortunately in this country, the government doesnt run things, the dollar bill does, and the RIAA represents a LOT of dollar bills.
When you attack this kind of activity, make sure to point it at the RIAA and the recording industry. We Americans hate it. - bobby5892, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19As a US resident.... I too wish Australia would not bow to the US.
!!freedom of information!! - theducks, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17fkr3: Look at it another way.. would you rather spend 10 years in a US prison, or an Australian one? Which do you think it more appropriate for an Australian who committed crimes while he was in Australia?
- karmajunkie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19As a US citizen...
I agree with you. Tell your government to quit being such wimps and stand up to mine. - Fordi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15@Jammer:
The guy didn't commit a US crime. Bootlegging is a US crime, but that's not what DoD does; they're primarily interested in releasing warez for free, which places them smack dab in the 'simple piracy' area.
Even violations of the DMCA are civil offenses. I don't know that civil offenses warrant extradition in most cases, but there's a treaty in places that allows for it in copyright infringement cases.
That said, I don't see why they couldn't have handled this in Australian courts - other than the fact that our copyright punishment track record is a lot tougher than Australia's; the Aussies actually have somewhat sensible precedents. I mean the BSA can't have sensible precedents getting in the way of their pound of flesh, now can they? - kbot777, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16"On top of a possible 10-year jail term, Griffiths could be fined $US500,000.
(By way of comparison, the average sentence for rape in Victoria is six years and 10 months.)"
Our priorities are disgusting. - BlackAdderIII, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15"""Like what? Examples please? This guy headed a major software piracy group. It's not like he was just making copies of the latest Britney Spears CD for his friends."""
If he did everything he's accused of, that doesn't change a damned thing.
Australian person breaks Australian law in Australia. Obviously a good reason to sanction what may be an illegal extradition so he can be tried in some random foreign country, by a completely DIFFERENT country's laws then.
How would you feel about getting extradited for, say, possession of cannabis or speeding to some random human rights violating country despite your government's duty to refuse, with the possibility of jail time there? - TLAKABM, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1630/usparlimenttc2.jpg
It's the Australian Parliament, if you don't get it. - Fordi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15@SteelChicken:
The US laws on copyright violation isn't severe until you get into the territory of bootlegging (ie: selling infringed goods). Until then it's a civil matter, and extradition should NOT be permitted. Unless this guy was selling Windows XP ISO downloads to US citizens, bootlegging doesn't apply. Since this is DoD, and I'm certain that DoD has never sold a single release, the Aussie gov't should have told the US to shove it up their collective asses.
Child posters: the people who get to decide what 'Severe' is is your own government when deciding whether to extradite. Of course, their decision may get skewed when a more influential government comes in an twists their arm, as seems to be this case.
Unfortunately, it's international copyright law that allows for this; Australia joined in that bandwagon, and they're starting to get the short end of it for it. - catalysis, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16Australians should ask for the extradition of Americans who copy and distribute Australian media.
- tomz17, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15The woman you are thinking of was FROM australia...
- Fordi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14That's fine. You're about to be extradited for masturbation in violation of Jordan law. Pack up your things and prepare for the little guillotine.
No, seriously. Calling him a scumbag? It's not like he was eating babies, you douche. He was cracking software in violation of a US law that shouldn't even be on the books (the DMCA) and releasing software in violation of copyright law. I'm sure many people went homeless as a result of his actions, but no one died. That's the reason that both of these offenses are civil matters, not criminal.
What? They didn't even go homeless? Not a soul? Well ain't that some *****. I guess the BSA is just out to get a little revenge. After all, DoD's been thumbing their nose as 'em for the last fifteen years.
Anyway, ***** you for thinking you know what's best for the Australian government. These are people who value their freedom considerably more than we (the US) do. They may just get a little annoyed with how their government just cowed to US interests. - Cyraq, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16Jammer, why don't you go and suck off DRM while the RIAA gives you deep penetration from the behind, and leave us alone?
- Dundasbro, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17There seems to be a lot of fellow Aussies on this here internets...
/NSW - tomz17, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Didn't think this through, did you?
So if there was a "severe" law in Australia against jaywalking, you would be ok with extradition? How about wearing purple? eating pork?
Who gets to define what a severe law is?
See the problem?
I don't agree with our government, but we do have a right to ask for extradition. However, IMHO, Australia should have stood up for its citizen in this instance. If I was an Australian citizen I would be pissed as hell. - BrokenVisage, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14The Aussies are notorious for this sort of crap. It's deeper then you think too, some of the most secure US bases are located in Australia, and from the stories I've read from people who casually ventured near them they don't take ***** from anybody. I understand this guy probably deserved to face his punishment, but the way this government is imposing its will around the globe makes me sick and worrisome. World police, or global tyrants in disguise?
- tomz17, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13exactly... and in this case Australia clearly sold one of its citizens out. This guy broke US AND Australian law, but never even set foot in the US. He should have the right to stand trial in his native country in front of a jury of HIS peers first. It is our right to ask for extradition, and it is Australia's right to tell us to go screw ourselves. If the situation were reversed and Australia wanted to extradite one of our own citizens under the same circumstances the US would have undoubtedly given them the finger.
As a US citizen I can sleep soundly at night knowing that my country will have my back when ***** hits the fan. If I were an Australian right now I would be pissed as hell... not at the US, but at my own government. - jmpeagle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12there is a double standard...the U.S. doesn't extradite to other countries.
- Fordi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Yeah, isn't that retarded?
6 years in Australia for rape, but, apparently, 10 years if you piss off a US corporation enough. - scabbers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12He didn't sell anything.
- bcmiller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Pirates are people who board ships and kill the crew. This guy just shared software. Australia has weakened it's sovereignty with this move and so has the US since the real power behind this move were the corporations.
How many of my tax dollars were wasted by the US in a 3 year extradition of a guy who is not a violent criminal? The dollar amount of the crime is based on the down-loaders buying the software.. that wouldn't happen.
This is why people should support free software (not just open source) www.fsf.org - chicoer2001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Hypocrisy on the US part. They would never send one of their own to anther country for a similar crime. Total BS
- BGFeltenink, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1210 years in prison for something like this??? Is he a danger to society? If not then why the ***** do we need to put him in prison?
Oh yeah, I forgot that around 50% of our imprisoned population is there for political crimes. Makes me sick, there used to be a time where jail/prison was reserved for people that couldn't be left in the general population because of a crime that harms people.
This is just ***** and that's not even getting to the part where a man committed a "crime" in Australia and yet might have to serve a decade of the only life he has in a ***** US prison.
/Nope, not resentful of similar sentences against recreational drug users AT ALL - Fordi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Um. DoD never sold a release. Check facts, then return.
- zapa, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14australia lost my respect
- toonworld, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12(I know I'm going to be dugg down for this, but I couldn't resist!!)
It's ironic how Australia used to be a British penal colony and now they are "exporting" prisoners to the US!
Ok but seriously, if Canada were to do that I would be outraged too!
//Ozzie's rock!!! - lochness, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11I love how my government, led by little Jack-Boot-Johnny, is happy, if not EAGER to spend my tax dollars on defending and negotiating to bring home convicted DRUG SMUGGLERS from Indonesia, not to mention paying for their lawyers to get them off death row, so they can come back to a nice comfy Australian jail....
Yet they are quite happy to get down on their knees and suck George Bush's hairy ***** and simply hand over to the sharing-caring USA, this guy who harmed no-one, broke no Australian law, never set foot in the all mighty USA and made no money from the exercise and was "stupid" at best, nothing more. - Rammsteined, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Wouldn't? They have not, just think of David Hicks.
- scabbers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10It's true that if you commit a violent crime you're going to do a lot less time than if you cost some corporation (or the government) money.
- BlackAdderIII, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11"""Not anything ... only when you break our laws and we want to nail your ass to a wall. If you've done nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about."""
If we break your laws it's got ***** all to do with you unless it's in your country, or concerns some act of violence against your citizens. - Albion01, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12So America is making world law and imprisoning foreign citizens? What's next, America arresting and extraditing citizens of Holland for smoking marijuana? I think it's time Americans start thinking about taking back America!
- Apple_fanboy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11She was in Indonesia dumbass. Its a completly seporate soverign nation.
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