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Understanding Copyright Law:

A Pirate's Perspective

Copyright law is meant to promote creativity, but today's system often stifles it. Overly long terms and harsh penalties hurt artists, limit what consumers can do, and make criminals out of people who simply want to share art. My personal experience with the inefficient system led me to a federal prison cell... and I am almost a free man. But that's not the end of my story, just the beginning of it..

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mainemoviepirate

Feb 51 min read

Copywronged: The Continuing Battle for the Fair Use of Orphan Works

UNITED STATES v GORDON (2019) in the District of Maine was the first criminal copyright infringement case where the FAIR USE of ORPHAN...

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United States v Douglas Gordon

My version of events

In launching this site, I have been asked: If you are fighting for better copyright law why are you a "Movie Pirate"?

Because I have already been branded a pirate and criminal by the Government and mainstream media, I am using that brand to my advantage to try telling my side of the story and maybe if I'm lucky, change the oppressive and draconian copyright laws that dominate our country.

If my actions help one person understand copyright law better, it will be worth it. I was asked in prison by a social worker: "Are you fighting so you can be a footnote in the Copyright law?" Maybe I am, it's not the only reason, but it's also not a bad reason.

My experience highlights the difficulties faced by individuals attempting to understand complex legal issues without adequate resources. This points to a need for greater transparency and access to educational materials within the justice system.

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Fair Use of Orphan Works

Join my fight

The Fair Use of Orphan Works is unsettled Copyright Law as of 2024. The Orphan Works problem was addressed by the US Congress TWICE and they failed to fix it TWICE. Orphan Works, in a nutshell, are copyrighted works but owner cannot be located. Our Society should have access to these creative works, which exist in a de facto Public Domain. Creative works serve as an inspiration to other's creativity. The American People deserve a solution from our Government regarding the Orphan Works problem.

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The Government's Version:

The Original Indictment on January 17, 2019

United States v. Gordon Case number 1:19-cr-00007-JAW

Location: This case happened in a United States Federal Court in Bangor, Maine, USA.
Who's Involved: The United States government accused a person named Douglas Gordon of crimes.
Nature of the Case: Douglas Gordon is accused of serious copyright violations related to movies.

The Charges

The document listed two specific charges (called "counts") against Douglas Gordon:

Count 1: Between January and June of 2014, Douglas Gordon is accused of illegally copying and sharing at least 10 copyrighted movies, with the total value of those movies being over $2500.
Count 2: Between July and December of 2016, Douglas Gordon is accused of the same crime – illegally copying and sharing at least 10 copyrighted movies worth over $2500.

Important Notes

"Willfully": This means the government believed he did this on purpose, knowing it was illegal.
"Aid and Abet": This means the government thought he directly helped others break copyright law as well.
Indictment: This means a group of citizens (the Grand Jury) reviewed evidence and decided there's enough to take this to trial.
Secret Indictment: This likely means the indictment was kept private while the authorities were investigating and/or looking for Douglas Gordon.

Outcome

This document is from 2019, so the result of this case would depend on what happened in the trial. If found guilty, the potential penalties for these crimes can be very severe.

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Tell Me what you think!

Hate mail, Congratulations on your release from Prison, I hope you die, Whatever. I can take it.

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