TorrentFreak

The place where breaking news, BitTorrent and copyright collide

SOPA Author Is a Pirate, A Repeat Offender

While the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) continues to dominate the news, the people responsible for the bill continue to break their own rules.

A few weeks ago several SOPA sponsors were caught posting copyrighted videos on their personal websites.

Under SOPA this is considered to be a felony, punishable by 5 years in prison.

One of the most prominent ‘criminals’ was SOPA author Lamar Smith, who as it turns out, is a persistent copyright infringer.

Vice reports that Smith used a Creative Commons licensed photo on his site without attributing the author.

“I do not see anywhere on the screen capture that you have provided that the image was attributed to the source (me).” photographer DJ Schulte told Vice.

” So my conclusion would be that Lamar Smith’s organisation did improperly use my image. So according to the SOPA bill, should it pass, maybe I could petition the court to take action against www.texansforlamarsmith.com.”

Of course Smith and his team were quick do hide all traces to the infringing material, but the screenshot below should suffice as evidence (partial credit to DJ Schulte).

pirate

This post is from the News Bits section of TorrentFreak where we present stories from around the web in a concise summary format. Full TorrentFreak articles can be found here. If you have a tip please let us know. News Bits have their very own RSS feed
  • http://twitter.com/CheapassFiction AeliusBlythe

    Wow, what a jerk. Just more proof that even the people responsible for the legislation have no idea what they are doing with it. Massively irresponsible.

    And of course he has to sweep it under the rug because he didn’t even have the balls to stand up and admit his mistake (according to his own proposed law, that is.) A jerk AND a coward.

    Not that I approve of SOPA in the least, but if the legislation passes I hope someone, somewhere uses it to take the supporters to court and pursue them as viciously as pirates (and innocent folk) are being pursued now. Call me vindictive and petty, but that would bring one tiny bright spark to all this dark business. Not that it’s going to happen. But I can dream…

    • Captain Buzzoverinthehead DFC

      “Call me vindictive and petty…”

      OK: you’re vindictive and petty. Mind you, since I agree with you that makes me vindictive and petty as well. I think I can live with that.

    • cepheid

      Fight fire with fire.

      • Alyssa Blindy

        No no, fight fire with ice. And that’s not Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

        • Anonymous

          Fight ICE with Fire :)

          neh, them idiots need their butts kicked.

  • Herp The Derpity Derpison

    If he’s Vindictive and petty then we all are! .. we’re one. Just ask Anonymous :P

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GXJKJW7HLRXH2X3XIIQBUA6CZU c p

    Perhaps we need to also check the content and images of all the other House members websites (as well as all their family members, companies and individuals that contribute to their campaigns) who support this bill as well as the companies that have signed on to in support of SOPA ang PIPA. It’s hard to image Smith is the only to violating a potential bill they are trying pass. Kudos to the person willing to take on the project.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GXJKJW7HLRXH2X3XIIQBUA6CZU c p

    Perhaps we need to also check the content and images of all the other House members websites (as well as all their family members, companies and individuals that contribute to their campaigns) who support this bill as well as the companies that have signed on to in support of SOPA ang PIPA. It’s hard to image Smith is the only to violating a potential bill they are trying pass. Kudos to the person willing to take on the project.

    • http://fightcopyrighttrolls.com S.J. Doe

      Great minds think alike… I’m not talking about myself: Vice started exactly what you have suggested: http://www.vice.com/read/find-sopa-cosigners-copyright-violation

      • http://twitter.com/TPBGirl TPBGirl

        VICE’s “Shop a SOPA” Copyright Hypocrite Hunt

        Let the hunts begin!

      • http://twitter.com/icanhazsake Ninja

        This shit is so complicated you can have a hard time to find if some material is copyrighted, how to acquire the rights to use it and (!!!!) what type of rights you have to acquire. Hell, I tell you.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_U2H7S4MG6PLQUVOA2CFNMZ2QUQ Ric Desan

    The Irony of this whole post is not only how well it demonstrates not just how bad SOPA is, but just how badly the system is broken as a whole. America has MUCH bigger fish to fry than this one horrid bill!

  • Pingback: Desenvolvedores se manifestam contra SOPA. E o proprio autor da lei eh um pirata! | Muito Supremo

  • Alyssa Blindy

    Dear Mr. Smith:
    Just because you may want a twelve step program to use to end your copyright infringement issues, that doesn’t mean you have to try to put pieces of that program into law, especially the ones that would break the internet. Don’t burden everyone else with your issues.
    :-P Ha.

  • lulz

    Shouldn’t have pointed it out, should have just waited and then taken proper court action when this SOPA bullshit passes… you know it will, it’s completely paid for!

  • Pingback: SOPA Author Is a Pirate, A Repeat Offender | U Torrent Free Download

  • FUCK-LAMAR

    Wow…How do we send this guy to prison for 5 years for sheer corruption and stupidity?

  • Tiger97a

    voters in texas don’t reelect this guy. that simple just don’t vote for him.

  • Anon

    Anyone notice that the only web crawler on his website that is disallowed is the Internet Archive Wayback Machine? How convenient. (http://www.texansforlamarsmith.com/robots.txt)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=739839355 Dan Waggoner

    Not that simple Tiger97a, we don’t have elections again until November.

  • DannyUfonek

    Just look at his stupid face, no wonder he is such a jerk who serves the copyright monopoly.

  • http://twitter.com/peplepowerusa Gone-Dee

    Lamar Smith was bought and paid for by Hollywood. We have to stop these bribes from big business. Its a cancer to the USA. We need to impose term limits in congress and the senate too

  • Pingback: ???? ? ???? | ???? ??????

  • BTGuard - BitTorrent Anonymously

NewsBits

Even more news...

  • The Pirate Bay Isn’t Down Completely, Just Having a Few Issues

    Twitter and Facebook, not to mention the TorrentFreak inbox, are currently alive with complaints that The...

  • Pirate Bay Founder Gottfrid Svartholm on Freedom of Speech

    Freedom of speech is a highly valued commodity, but should people be allowed to say whatever...

  • Blu-ray Anti-Piracy Tech Stops Discs and Promotes Purchases

    An anti-piracy system present in all official Blu-ray players since 2012 has received a fresh update...

  • Foxtel Breeds Pirates by Locking Up Game of Thrones

    One of the main reasons why people turn to piracy is the lack of legal alternatives....

  • UK Student Admits Breaching Sony Copyrights With Leak of PS3 SDK

    Last year an Internet user known as El Nomeo leaked version 3.70 of Sony’s Playstation3 SDK...

MostDiscussed

Below are TorrentFreak's most discussed articles of the past month. Join the discussion if you like.

CopyQuote

Left Quote

“The Pirate Bay has been one of the most important movements in Sweden for freedom of speech, working against corruption and censorship.

Peter Sunde Left Quote

PopularArticles

A selection of some TorrentFreak's classics dug up from our archives.