MPAA seeks UK sock-puppets to help them screw over TVShack's likable, innocent owner

Richard O'Dwyer, creator of the legal UK website TVShack, faces extradition to the USA (even though TVShack is probably legal in the USA too). As usual, the MPAA has managed to get lawmakers to do their bidding so well that it has made them look like the villainous corporate scumbags everyone suspects them of being. A freshly leaked memo described by TorrentFreak documents Big Content's strategy for winning hearts and minds:

“The overall media coverage has been and will continue to be challenging,” the MPAA writes.
They mention the petition of Wikipedia founder jimmy Wales, the Demand Progress campaign, and note that a recent survey showed that 95% of the public does not support the extradition. According to the MPAA, public opinion is skewed because people are being led to believe that TVShack was operating perfectly legal in the UK.
“To counter these assertions, the MPAA and its allies need a coordinated effort to focus more on the criminal activity involved in the operation of TVShack and other similar linking sites,” the MPAA notes...
“Ideally, this would be done through third parties – but finding third parties – especially in the United Kingdom – has been very difficult so far, so the MPAA must be prepared to respond to media requests on the issue and set the record straight to counter the misinformation campaign by our opponents.”

MPAA Recruits “Surrogates” to Support Extradition of UK Student

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Business • Copyfight • corporatism • corruption • leaks • PR • uk • web theory

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fuzzyfuzzyfungus

I’m pretty sure that if you not only have; but are, The Media and you still can’t get your message across, there might be a problem with your message…
http://www.aarongilliland.com/ Aaron Gilliland

And by “misinformation” they mean “information”.
- fuzzyfuzzyfungus
  
  Never let the facts stand in the way of the truth.
That_Anonymous_Coward

UPFRONT WARNING… YOU WILL NEED YOUR OWN UNICORN CHASER…

The biggest problem might be they are so damn unlikeable.
I mean really, if I were to suggest that the cartel’s upper management took deviant sexual liberties with animals… would you even blink?
Honestly, think about it (just don’t picture it)… could your opinion of them get any lower?

You see this sometimes with kids who turn into bullies, everyone dumps on them and dumps on them and one day they find someone they and boss around. So they keep doing it. They find a lackey they can bribe (lawmakers) to help be their enforcer because they can’t win a fair fight.

They have destroyed their image to such a degree that the only salvation, in their mind, is to raise themselves up on the bodies of their enemies… except they don’t want anyone dangerous or who can put up a real fight… they have totally missed the idea that even if this kid had a peg leg, eyepatch, and sailed a freaking galleon stealing DVD’s from cargo ships he would still be more sympathetic than they are.

Maybe it is time for them to be sent to their room to think about what they have done without dinner. Maybe book them some long term care, where they can be taught that they are not the rulers of the world and sharing isn’t a horrible thing. That or just ECT the lot of them until they are drooling zombies and hope the next batch have a clue.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  I mean really, if I were to suggest that the cartel’s upper management took deviant sexual liberties with animals… would you even blink?
  
  I’d be shocked. Because it would mean that they had taken time off from eating babies.
  - That_Anonymous_Coward
    
    The original version in my head was them doing bad things to kittens then eating them… I toned it down a little bit…
    Because we all have to admit we sometimes look at peoples kids and know why some animals eat their babies…
    more people like kittens…
yeahyeahwhtever

“…the misinformation campaign by our opponents.”
Clue up, mofos: truth is your opponent
Boundegar

This memo makes more sense if you go through and replace “our opponents” with “everybody.”

Strange, this comment I made vanished, but Aaron’s reply above didn’t.
http://tomxvesely.blogspot.com/ thomas vesely

what is this extraditing to the U$A.?
this effectively makes american laws above those of any other country.
sovereignity ?
i hope they seek to extradite a chinese citizen.
not, anytime soon, i guess.
cause the chinese have pride and nukes.
all we got is commercial interests.
teapot

I used to think twice before downloading whatever. The actions of these jerks (and their buddies) convinced me to not worry.

This is war and I’m not contributing to their war chest.
robuluz

Ideally, this would be done through third parties – but finding third parties – especially in the United Kingdom – has been very difficult so far, so the MPAA must be prepared to respond to media requests on the issue and set the record straight to counter the misinformation campaign by our opponents.

The lack of self awareness – it burns! IT BURNS!!!
- DewiMorgan
  
  And they told us that to take over the world, the robots needed to be self-aware. No, looks like they just need to be self-interested.
Ed Ligget. Tuba.

Thing is, these miserable fucksticks are on their way out. Amanda Fucking Palmer proved that with her million dollar Kickstarter campaign. We don’t need gatekeepers anymore. They’re guarding a gate standing in a field with no fence on either side.
- DewiMorgan
  
  Unfortunately, it will take a long time for the gate to rot and collapse under its won weight. The mass-media lobby is still a very powerful political force.
http://twitter.com/shahaoul Steve Collins

Umm … isn’t his name Richard not Craig?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Shivshakti-Kumawat/100002988843933 Shivshakti Kumawat

This memo makes more sense if you go through and replace “our opponents” with “everybody.”
mobobo

if you haven’t already…
http://www.change.org/petitions/ukhomeoffice-stop-the-extradition-of-richard-o-dwyer-to-the-usa-saverichard

T.May way to go in protecting your citizens, it makes me proud to have such wonderful leaders.
Yacko

Why did that Honan-guy get hacked when there is so much fertile ground for kiddie hackers over at the MPAA?
Baldhead

Part of the problem, MPAA, with getting people to believe you this time is mainly that you’ve been caught lying so very often. After a while we kinda just assume you’re lying and leave it at that.
http://www.facebook.com/peter.hendry.125 Peter Hendry

Most of this vitriol is powered by ex Senator Chris Dodd.
(
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/03/dodd-mpaa/ ) If anyone has any dirt about him then post it.I’m quite sure we cound find an equally specious reason to extradite him to Britain. For a start there is the old “Failing to practice the Longbow on a Sunday.” Not illegal in America but illegal in Britain.
- Nick Hayday
  
  That’s another problem, we have no extradition powers the other way
nowimnothing

I won’t call you a sock puppet, but you do need to rethink the idea that digital copies are in any way similar to discreet physical objects. Just throw all the moral arguments about theft out the window for a moment and consider how exactly an economic model based on artificial scarcity works when there is no way to ensure that scarcity.
Antinous / Moderator

If the belief that it is still wrong to steal from another person makes me a “sock puppet” then sign me up.

What makes you a sock puppet is the fact that there are five accounts from this IP address, all promoting draconian IP law.

Sleep with the fishes.
- Conan Librarian
  
  HAHA, busted shill!