MPAA Under Investigation for Illegal NYPD Payoffs 500
An anonymous reader writes "The New York Post is reporting that two NYPD officers are being investigated for taking illegal payoffs from the MPAA for busting sellers of pirated DVDs. According to the article, MPAA investigators would tell the cops where pirated movies were being sold, which is perfectly legal, but, after the bust, they'd give them several hundred dollars in gratuities, which is illegal. Naturally, the MPAA denies all of this."
pirated movies/games.... (Score:4, Funny)
Save the bandwidth for me.
Re:pirated movies/games.... (Score:3, Funny)
corrupt cops, big industry interests, the justice department gets involved, maybe the feds, why heck where's Jack Bauer?
Re:pirated movies/games.... (Score:5, Insightful)
strange (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:strange (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, but for a greedy organization dedicated to stealing money from their users, that's no surprise to me.
Unfortunately (for the *AA enemies) I think this is an isolated case, rather than their modus operandi. After all, it's reasonable to expect that one or two cops (or even a P.D.) can be corrupt, isn't it?
Money making (Score:5, Interesting)
Surely the can't expect that their raids of arrests will provide them with more sales.
Where they thinking that as long they're already on the red number side, they could just buy themselves some police forces?
Re: you missed the "why" (Score:5, Insightful)
Increase Sales
Reduce Cost
The MPAA considers piracy to be a "cost" that they wish to control, to assist their bottom line.
I think DVD prices are not too high... (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe it is just me, but I think DVD prices are decently low right now (for the most part). I was just at a store yesterday and saw a huge selection of recent discs, new, for $7.50 each. Sure, the new ones are espensive when they first come out, but the prices often drift down.
I aay "for the most part" because I'd like to get those Babylon 5 sets sometime, and they are still very expensive.
Re:I think DVD prices are not too high... (Score:5, Insightful)
So, tell me again why DVDs cost as much as they do? Ah yes, what the market will bare. Looks like a significant portion of the market has decided that prices are too high.
Re:I think DVD prices are not too high... (Score:4, Interesting)
the only exception are those for whom their contract involved a percentage of the gross, like the producers, directors, and lead actors. they get paid a substantially higher portion of the dvd sales than the regular actors do.
for this reason, some dvd releases of classic movies don't get the "special edition" treatment up front (ala Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Chariots of Fire) -- the sales of the first release measure the interest. the profits are then used to pay the actors and other people (critics such as Leonard Maltin in the Disney films) to film the new interview footage.
its akin to getting a public speaking engagement. those generally run in the thousands, plus transportation and hotel fees, even for small actors like the various Imperial generals/admirals at Star Wars cons. Agents of actors NEVER let them do anything for free, because it reduces their value in the next film's negotiations.
however, its extremely rare for TV show actors to get a percentage of the gross unless its the fifth season and beyond of a HUGE hit like seinfeld or friends. just as the actors normally don't get a piece of syndication sales, they also rarely get a piece of dvd sales.
Re:I think DVD prices are not too high... (Score:4, Insightful)
So, tell me again why DVDs cost as much as they do? Ah yes, what the market will bare. Looks like a significant portion of the market has decided that prices are too high.
Ignoring your ignorance about what things in the real world cost, if it's too expensive then just don't buy the shit.
Every non-commodity item is sold at a price-point of what the market will bear. Do you think your salary should be based upon the minimum it costs you to pay rent, buy a few articles of clothing, and pay for some food? Maybe you're happy with subsisting through life, but most people want to get paid what the going market rate is. If the market will bear a $100K a year salary, I doubt you'll find people saying "Well, I can really get by on only $30K, so I'll cut my employer a deal."
Let some other store buy DVDs and you can rent it on the cheap. Or get some friends together and split the cost. Next you'll be whining about how cologne and perfume is just a chemical solution in an alcohol base and that it shouldn't cost more than $2 for a bottle of that new Calvin Klein "Pretension" cologne.
Re:I think DVD prices are not too high... (Score:4, Interesting)
I live in a country where if you look at purchasing power parity, our courrency is nearly 60% undervalued against the USD. So stuff here ought to cost only about 40% of what they cost in the US (in other words 60% cheaper).
Yet, the price of a non bootleg DVD movie here is about US$50 and it stays that way. So that makes it 700% more expensive then your US$7 instead of 60% cheaper which is the fair price.
Anyway, thats moot, my point is that the MP/RI-AA's arguement is flawed. A people with very low disposeable incomes are either going to buy a bootleg or not going to buy it at all. So there is no loss there because nobody would have bought the original if piracy didn't exist anyway.
Wrong (Score:4, Insightful)
No they're not. Candy costs about 55 cents a bar now, when it used to be about 33 cents when I was a kid. Does this mean if I were to shoplift a candy bar, it's the store's fault? Or the candy manufacturer?
While I'm certainly not defending the MPAA's actions or saying that things are hunky dory, their shitty actions are not a reasonable justification to steal.
Re:Wrong (Score:5, Insightful)
I didn't realise DVDs being taken off store shelves was such a huge problem in the US.
(Hint: If you meant "copyright infringement", say it. Don't say "steal", as that means something else.)
Re:Wrong (Score:5, Insightful)
An extreme case to be sure, but I wanted to illustrate the point. A business has to take reasonable safeguards for their product *AND* make sure they have a viable business model. When the entire world is clamoring for lower prices on music\movies, with the customers being fully aware that these products can be obtained far more cheaply (or for free), then the media conglomerates are inviting piracy by refusing to respond to the market.
And that's what it all boils down to. The world is moving towards digital distribution, and the media companies are doing everything in their power to try to stop that from happening. They are refusing to update their business model for a new generation. This SHOULD be death for a company. Instead, they have grown so large that they simply attempt to outlaw the new technology that threatens their 1950s mentality.
Now, personally I think pirates who *profit* off their wares are scum that deserve to be locked up. BUT, that does not mean that the media companies are in any way blameless. The world is changing; they refuse to - and this is the result.
Re:Wrong (Score:3, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
You are way off topic, you know... (Score:3, Interesting)
Who ever mentioned stealing? The subject concerned illegal copies. I defy you go find a story about the MPAA cracking down on DVD theft. You might find some, but they are kind of rare.
Re:Money making (Score:3, Funny)
Apperantly they do, and don't call me shurley...
Re:Money making (Score:5, Insightful)
If I understand your claim, I think you're wrong.
Yes, I think that they do in fact think that when people buy bootleg copies of DVD's that they don't buy legit copies of the DVD's, so shutting down illegal manufacturers (i.e. factories that manufacture DVD's that they don't pay royalties on, and street vendors who burn DVD-R's and don't pay royalties) they reduce the supply of bootlegs and thus increase sales of legit DVD's.
Is there something there that you disagree with?
Re:Money making (Score:4, Insightful)
Reducing the supply of bootlegs doesn't translate into increased sales of legitimiate DVDs. Economics tells us that the higher the price vs the perceived value, the less people who'll buy the product. It could very well be that the price of the bootleg is acceptable to bootleg customers, but that the price of the legal DVD is not.
Which means that you might get *no* increase in legal DVDs by shutting down bootleg operations. You will, however, acquire power that you didn't have before (by definition).
Max
What's worse? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What's worse? (Score:5, Insightful)
I think I can see the logic of this - most cops probably don't give a damn about who's selling DVDs, especially since the people who do it (at least here) are usually immigrants (sometimes illegal) who have a very poor knowledge of the language and can't get a job.
Doesn't seem to be much point to me in arresting some guy who managed to get some income that way, when there are much more harmful people out there. I think most cops would be pretty happy with that at least they're not selling drugs or mugging people.
Re:What's worse? (Score:2)
Why people paying cops to enforce the law of course. Cops are not very well paid to begin with, so they have my empathy for accepting tips enforcing the law. To be honest this sounds very sloppy for the MPAA standards, but I can't argue that tipping police with just enough money to help pay that credit card bill but not quite enough to make you feel obligated to your new employers w
Re:What's worse? (Score:3, Insightful)
If this is the case, then there is something wrong with the system. I thought that was what a salary was for.
Can I pay a guy to be busy with minor offenses so that my major offense will be ignored?
Re:What's worse? (Score:3, Interesting)
There is something wrong with the system when cops for example feel it necessary to accept tips or moonlight as security with their uniform in order to make ends meet. I'm very offended by the practice but i'm not going to get angry with the cop because of it.
Can I pay a guy to be busy with minor offenses so that my major offense will be ignored?
Indeed you can... doesn't make it right but i'm
Re:What's worse? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What's worse? (Score:5, Informative)
Sure, if it were as simple as that. But could it be that you are buying a change in their priorities? For instance, they really should be dealing with the mugger that has been in Central Park recently, but because of your "tips" they ignore the threat of physical harm to citizens and instead help you enforce your copyrights.
Another thought just came to me. Haven't I seen something in the news recently about cities refusing to have local police enfore federal laws? So aren't copyright violations, violations of federal laws? Was this the FBI getting "tips" or city cops? Hmmmm. Anyone care to bat this thought around?
all the best,
drew
Re:What's worse? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What's worse? (Score:5, Informative)
As a cop I can tell you that this is indeed the case. As a small department with a lot of area to cover, piracy is the LAST concern any of us have. To put it in perspective I would rather write someone for J-walking...
Re:What's worse? (Score:2)
You must be from Seattle. It's among one of the few cities I know of where cops actually take the time to write J-walking tickets. But at least you can argue that J-walking can affect public saftey, after all someone jumping out into the middle of the street might get hit.
What kind of cop are you? (Score:5, Funny)
The only cop I would ever expect to surf Slashdot is Robocop.
Cheers, officer. Just having a funny.
Re:What's worse? (Score:3, Funny)
"You're a cop and you can't spell jaywalking ?"
Dud3, y0u 3v3r 7h1nk h3 m4y b3 4 |337 c0p?
Re:What's worse? (Score:4, Interesting)
Full Text if /.'ed (Score:2, Informative)
One officer, a sergeant on the force since 1992, has been transferred from the Staten Island Task Force to the 122nd Precinct pending the internal investigation.
The other, a cop for five years, still works on the task force.
As members of the unit, the officers, ages 36 and 32, would arrest
Campaign funds (Score:5, Funny)
Yup, business as usual.
Which it be? (Score:5, Interesting)
From title: MPAA Under Investigation for Illegal NYPD Payoffs
So, who's under investigation here?
Re:Which it be? (Score:4, Insightful)
Life is easy... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Life is easy... (Score:4, Funny)
I am not surprised (Score:5, Interesting)
They may be bad, but.... (Score:3, Funny)
They may be bad, but they do not have monopolies. By definition, they can't be with all the freely available, legal non-pirated non-MPAA/RIAA films and music out there.
Re:They may be bad, but.... (Score:5, Insightful)
There's a reason there's a law called the Sherman Anti-Trust Act [wikipedia.org].
A true Republican president [whitehouse.gov] would be fighting against the trusts, unlike the corporate whore [time.com] who occupies the White House.
Re:They may be bad, but.... (Score:3, Informative)
Obviously they paid you to say that. (Score:4, Funny)
Loosing revenue? (Score:3, Insightful)
Perhaps the reason the MPAA and RIAA is loosing 3.5 billion is because spending the money on bent officials?
This wouldn't surprise me.. (Score:5, Informative)
The Banno Story - Corrupt nyc cops lie, the DA encourages and participates in the lies.. get caught red handed [indymedia.org]
Police Perjurers [yahoo.com]
another story related to the new york DA editing/manipulating video tapes [pacifica.org]
Google the story, hundreds of cases have been dropped because the Police were inventing stories that never happened and then having the DA charge innocent people with full knowledge.
Re:This wouldn't surprise me.. (Score:3, Interesting)
The perjurers obviously need to be punished, but its the inevitable result when you're arresting a city block, rather than people "disturbing the peace"
Re:This wouldn't surprise me.. (Score:3, Informative)
I really don't have a problem with that."
No, what happened was, police were making arrests & making up phony charges that the accused parties had never committed, and then the DA tried to prosecute those crimes by manipulating video evidence. Had they presented the entire video evidence uncut, their case against the accused parties would have collapsed. Luckily, third parties filming the same events
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
how ironic (Score:5, Interesting)
People have been saying for years that the MPAA need to try harder to stop piracy before the movies get leaked. Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Maybe it's time they started listening.
At last (Score:4, Interesting)
Good game gentleman. You lose this round and hopefully won't come back.
Why is it that.... (Score:5, Funny)
I bet the MPAA thought that while their actions might have been *technically* illegal, they certainly weren't hurting anybody.
Sound familiar?
Re:Why is it that.... (Score:5, Funny)
The next step is to call them thieves.
Re:Why is it that.... (Score:2)
If the word "thief" can be applied to content duplicators and copyright infringers (as the RIAA and MPAA do), it can be applied to any crime.
I wanna see them dangling from a rope! (Score:4, Insightful)
That is the only way to swing the pendulum back, to correct the culture.
Tsk tsk (Score:3, Insightful)
The difference is, that while he robs and brutalizes and takes away rights and consolidates dictatorial powers, he says "he is doing it to help the poor". That is enough for some who only look at words not deeds.
Bad cops bad cops (Score:5, Funny)
New York's finest paid by MPAA
Bust down your door and take your movie away!
In de car or on de horse,
They'll take your DVD's with excessive force.
Bad cops, bad cops.
Hypocrites (Score:5, Interesting)
They want us to obey the law but forget to do it themselves. Great example guys.
Hardly surprising... (Score:3, Interesting)
(In Soviet Russia, gifts outlaw YOU!)
This is about the MPAA not the RIAA (Score:5, Informative)
The RIAA is a criminal cartel that buys their own cops
The MPAA is a criminal cartel that buys their own laws [wikipedia.org]
(oh and if any lawyers representing either of those organisations are reading this, please sue me for sying that, I'd just love the chance see the expression on your faces when a judge agrees with me)
Criminal activity is normal for the RIAA (Score:5, Informative)
Law enforcement goes wild and imprisons students for sharing a few thousand dollars worth of mp3s. It's about time we start imprisoning music industry CEOs who steal $143 million from the public.
Re:Criminal activity is normal for the RIAA (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Criminal activity is normal for the RIAA (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Criminal activity is normal for the RIAA (Score:3, Funny)
The MPAA are Italian and the RIAA are Japanese?
Did I take this too literally?
From the article (Score:3, Funny)
An MPAA tip, for example, led to the recent prosecution of Randy Guthrie, the black sheep of a blueblood New York family, who was recently sentenced to 21/2 years in a Chinese jail for selling nearly $1 million in pirated movies over the Internet.
Why don't they just say 10.5 years?
come on (Score:5, Funny)
How much to have someone arrested? (Score:5, Funny)
Bugger me! (Score:3, Insightful)
Next thing you know they start paying politicians to change laws.
Oh shit, nevermind...
NOTICE: The MPAA did NOT deny it (Score:3, Insightful)
-->
"We don't give cash to police officers," said Bill Shannon, an MPAA anti-piracy official.
--
Isn't that an odd way of putting a "denial"?
So Billy, what kind of gratuities do you actually use if not cash?
It's true! The bastards nailed me! (Score:3, Funny)
Anyone one really surprised? (Score:3, Insightful)
Esteban Carpio [cnn.net] and Abner Louima [cnn.com] got to see police revenge in action. No trial, just beaten within an inch of their lives. With Abner Louima the NYC Police department repeatedly raped his by jambing a toilet plunger in his anus while yelling "Take this, nigger". And these are the ones that lived.
I'm sorry, but the police are a cancer on society. And before anyone says I don't understand I was once a LEO assigned to the US Marshall's Office for three years (among other duties). Most cops are nothing more than stupid animals that couldn't think for themselves if they're life depended on it. While there are many exceptions including some excellent police officers, it is clearly not the norm.
Remember this: next time you get pulled over remember who has their hand on a service issued firearm and who is unarmed. Does it make you feel a little scared? If there's a disagreement are they going to believe you or the cop?
Check out the moive "The Thin Blue Line" (1988). It's about how the police framed Randall Dale Adams for the murder of a police officer. He's was weeks from execution before the truth can out and freed.
Many cops carry "throwaway pieces", handguns and knifes that can't be traced back to them so if they kill someone they have an excuse. Back in the '80s I spent some time riding with the Washington DC PD and reported to an officer shooting a suspect. The officer claimed the suspect (now quite dead) had a knife. An Inspector came out, didn't see a knife and said he'd back in five minutes. When he returned there were now four knifes under the body. It seems a few "people" grabbed their throwaway knifes and kicked it under the body without checking to see if someone else had already done it. The Inspecter saw the knifes and closed the case as a justifed shooting. Maybe it would've been different if the kid (16 years old) wasn't black and didn't live in public housing.
Welcome to Amerika.
Abner Louima: NYC officer arrested in alleged sexual attack on suspect [cnn.com]
Esteban Carpio: No bail for suspect in detective's shooting [cnn.com]
Re:Umm. (Score:5, Insightful)
Telemarketer called you; you're on the do not call list?
click here [donotcall.gov]
Re:Umm. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Umm. (Score:4, Insightful)
Please tip. If you can't afford to tip then go eat at McDonalds.
Tipping (Score:3, Insightful)
What is wrong in the above statement is that not tipping is only acceptable in the case of bad service. This is totally wrong, and contrary to the whole concept of tipping.
Tipping is intended as a means of a waiter/tress to earn income above and beyond what
Re:Umm. (Score:5, Insightful)
Though when I'm in the US I do try to remember that the waiters really are serfs and if I don't tip they'll starve. What a lovely system you guys have...
Re:Waiters in the US (Score:4, Insightful)
But most countries are socialist-leaning, so I'm not surprised you think so lowly of people who actually have to "sing for their supper".
How is it that so many people in the US see everything in an axis of Capitalism-Socialism?
The situation is as follows: Restaurant owners make money from the work of waiting staff. However, the waiting staff are paid on the whim of the customer (with less than minimum wage from owner contribution). The restaurant owner is essentially getting a free ride from the waiting staff. The waiter or waitress has no security and never mind the fact that many of the factors that contribute to "good service" are outside of the waiting staff's hands. If the restaurant owner understaffs, serves bad food or hassles the waitress so that maybe she doesn't feel like smiling or flirting with a customer, then it's not his problem because he's not the one that will be short-changed.
There's a lot to be said for a system in which everyone knows how much they're getting paid and how much they're expected to pay.
Re:Waiters in the US (Score:3, Insightful)
That is much closer to socialism. They do something for you then hope and pray you'll pay them out of the goodness of your heart.
I hate tipping because a customer's idea of a good tip isn't necessarily the same as the wait
Re:Umm. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Umm. (Score:2)
You were going great until the last sentence. Most of them are quite well paid. Where unions are involved, they can even be overpaid. The pay level can negatively impact public safety: in order to pay them more, you have to cut down the size of the force. However, if they think the pay is too low, they should find another career rather than augment their pay with criminal activity.
Re:Umm. (Score:3, Interesting)
No, I would leave it to those who are in it for public service, rather than those who are in it to get rich. Besides, the pay is quite adequate.
Re:Umm. (Score:2, Interesting)
Laws enforced only if officers tipped. (Score:5, Informative)
Aside from the fact that they are not underpaid, there is this problem. If you have a "tip" system, pretty soon they only enforce laws to benefit those who tip them. Want that burglary investigated? Tip them, or they will "ignore it due to more pressing matters".
Poor people can't tip the police. (Score:3, Insightful)
Nope. Read the parent.
"If the pay for enforcement of the law can be overcome by the acceptance of "tips", then the base salary is too low to prevent the officers from breaking their oaths."
You make no sense here. The corruption and "we only work if you give us extra money" situation would apply even if the pay was $200,000 a year. The MPAA has big money going here. How many hundreds of thousands do you want to pay each officer a year to remove any possi
Re:Bribing them to obey oath they swore to... (Score:3, Insightful)
See other post, about the problem of not enough penalty for giving into this temptation.
"If you believe that police are working in their jobs because of some "duty" or obligation to the common good, then I have to believe that you are the one who is misguided"
Do you actually know anyone in law enforcement? Personally? Have you ever talked to any? Most of the police/etc I talk to are wo
Re:I apologize. I misunderstood your argument (Score:3, Insightful)
Absolutely. But, while paying them more can get better officers, that is not the most of it. Corruption and bribery scandals happen at the top of the law enforcement pay scale (between $100,000 and $200,000 for big cities). Surely these are not poverty wages, yet these big chiefs/leaders/etc still take bribes.
"I intended to argue for a better "carrot" but you were intent on arguing for a better "stick"."
When you swear an
Re:Umm. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Umm. (Score:3, Insightful)
You don't.
Irregular verb (Score:5, Funny)
I tip
You bribe
The MPAA induces massive police corruption
Re:Umm. (Score:2)
Re:Umm. (Score:5, Insightful)
We already have a problem with police going after more high profile crimes involving a lot of money, rather than going after less high profile crimes which involve less money but more harm to the individual.
For example, if a little old lady is scammed out of $10,000 by a guy who says he will fix her leaking roof, that causes her a lot of harm.
In contrast, if someone distributes music online and costs the music industry $100,000, which is highly unlikely, the police will go after those guys with more vigor, even though the music industry won't feel the sting of that guy's actions much if at all.
Re:Vic Mackey sez... (Score:2)
I disagree with that policy, but I'm in the minority, apparently.
Re:note to mods (Score:3, Informative)
While Vic Mackey is the main character, the quote was actually said by Claudette Wyms; a black detective who is justifying the excessiveness of Vic to the police captain.
I would actually say that this is on-topic simply for the fact that FX is, of course, FOX which is a member of the MPAA and "The Shield" is about cops going above the law.
Re:Why not? (Score:5, Funny)
No, no; a lot of other bands are being copied too, not just Ludacris.
Meesa so ludicrous! (Score:2)
As the VCR is fading technology, maybe we can let him do this, in exchange for his removing Jar Jar from subsequent DVD and other "Star Wars" releases.
Re:Get off your high-horses (Score:3, Informative)
MS, Apple, MPAA, RIAA and hundreds of others now having to compete with the internet. The internet is seen as "the wild west", the general people don't care and us geeks are in the minority with no money. So they do whatever they wish with the money they have and if they get caught who really cares but their lawyers who just wants the cash?
Do you see the irony here? (Score:4, Insightful)
Isn't this similar to the record and movie companies who want to get info from ISP's about alleged copyright infringement without going to a court of law?
The media companies have *seen* people stealing, so they assume people guilty and want to just fine them directly without doing that long, involved courtroom stuff.
Am I the only one who sees the irony here?
Re:Why is this so terrible (Score:3, Insightful)
Tea/coffe/snack/whatever = fine
Goods/services/favours = no
I suggest you check the difference between being polite and a bribe. Unless you're a little kid t
Re:Why is this so terrible (Score:3, Insightful)
No, no, you are using the wrong equation. You need to use tyhe one where each work is worth $150,000.00:
http://www.bitlaw.com/source/17usc/504.html [bitlaw.com]
all the best,
drew