I’m an occasional user of free wifi, but I’m always very careful about what I download and what I access when I’m using someone else’s internet. Not everyone is as mindful, as an unnamed UK pub is finding out. Like a lot of businesses, they offer the carrot of free wifi to attract customers; unfortunately for them, they’ve been hit with a $13,000 fine because someone downloaded copyright-protected material using the publican’s wireless internet access.
I can understand the copyright holder being mad about the infringement, but as the law is set up now, you can’t sue the provider of the wireless access for the action of the end user. The business is a public communications service provider, making them immune from copyright lawsuits. Needless to say, the lawsuit is all tied up in court.
Still, I’d bet that that’s one pub that’ll stop having wifi for its customers. Maybe they can blame the illegal downloading on a ghost in the bar? I’m not sure if there’s some way to avoid these kinds of nuisance lawsuits, but I really, really hate it when one bad apple ruins it for everyone.
Image: The DC Traveler
Tags: copyright infringement, RIAA, free wifi hotspot fined for illegal downloads, pub fined for free wifi, UK pub fined for customer’s wifi use