A California man is looking at jail time for a video he posted on Facebook. Trevon Franklin posted a copy of the movie Deadpool on his Facebook page while it was still playing in the theater.
Someone from Twentieth Century Fox, the studio that made the film, saw the post and reported it to the Justice Department. Mr. Franklin was charged with copyright infringement. At least 5 million people viewed the video on Facebook.
It’s important to remember that posting a pirate copy of a movie online is a crime. Whether or not sharing a pirated movie on your Facebook page is a crime akin to receiving stolen property and distributing it, is kind of up in the air. But if you share or watch a pirated movie on Facebook, Facebook knows that you both shared and watched that video.
You shouldn’t watch pirated movies because it’s stealing. But if that doesn’t put you off it, remember that big brother is watching and you could find yourself in trouble.
~ Cynthia
Rightly so he should be punished for distribution of copyrighted materials. But the watchers should not be punished. In the more enlightened countries only the distributors and producers have anything to worry about (even in cases where the content is illegal).
Receiving stolen property is a crime in most countries. Why should digital content be different that knowingly receiving a stolen TV?