Porn Troll Wants Wi-Fi Providers to Pay for Others Illegal DownloadsEFF Liberty Media Holdings (LMH) is suing two roommates in New York, alleging the illegal downloading of a pornographic film, even though LMH argues that only one made the infringing copy. Remarkably, LMH claims that the non-downloading roommate is also responsible for copyright infringement, simply because the Internet subscription is in his name and he might have known his roommate sometimes made illegal downloads. This theory is absurd, said EFF Staff Attorney Mitch Stoltz. Decades of copyright law make it clear to be guilty of infringement you have to do more than just provide an Internet connection you have to contribute actively to the infringement. This is a ridiculous attempt at expanding copyright law so its easier for copyright trolls to extract more money from more innocent people. Weve all been in a spot when we needed a few quick minutes online when we were lost, for example, or had to send an urgent email, said EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry. More open Wi-Fi is a public good that we should support. We cant let the copyright trolls bend the law here. All of us who use the Internet throughout the day could lose out. Thanks to Ray Beckerman for his assistance as local counsel. For the full amicus brief: Contacts: Mitch Stoltz Corynne McSherry You can help support this information by voting on Reddit HERE. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 