Shouldn't the Department of Homeland Security

[Minimalist]

have better things to do with its time than serve as enforcers for the film industry?

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/02/li...ndables-3/

Lions Gate sues BitTorrent protocol sites over leak of ‘The Expendables 3′

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, apparently began investigating the case after Lions Gate sought the aid of law-enforcement agencies in locating the film’s pirates, Deadline reported.

[Polaris]

You do realize what Customs Enforcement entails, right?

[Minimalist]

Apparently it entails being a hit man for rich corporate pricks.

What else have you got?

[Polaris]

Apparently it entails being a hit man for rich corporate pricks.

What else have you got?

It entails enforcing the law against criminal enterprises typically those who have a negative impact upon the economy (in this case, it was an issue about intellectual property rights that had previously been covered by the United States Customs Service) or those with products that come from state actors the government does not allow trade.

[Minimalist]

And who made it a law?

This is reality in 'Murrica. Rich corporate bastards call up their wholly-owned subsidiary congressman and say "make this a crime so we can have the taxpayers foot the bill for fighting what should be civil litigation that we would have to pay for."

These things do not happen by accident.

[FlyingNarwhal]

And who made it a law?

This is reality in 'Murrica. Rich corporate bastards call up their wholly-owned subsidiary congressman and say "make this a crime so we can have the taxpayers foot the bill for fighting what should be civil litigation that we would have to pay for."

These things do not happen by accident.

I think your just ranting for the sake of it here Min. Are you saying we shouldn't have intellectual property rights?

[Minimalist]

And they can sue to enforce them.

But no. It should not be a fucking "crime" enforceable by the feds. That's just bullshit and one more example of the growing police state in the US.

In case you haven't noticed, ICE is bitching about how their resources are stretched by the immigration problem on the border. I can see where they can re-deploy some manpower.

[Polaris]

According to your Constitution, the Feds have to get involved in legal issues that encompass multiple states. ICE is two government entities combined into one....this one is the Customs segment and only got combined because some of their duties involve border activity.

[Jackalope]

You do realize what Customs Enforcement entails, right?

Tilting at windmills, it would appear.

[Minimalist]

According to your Constitution, the Feds have to get involved in legal issues that encompass multiple states. ICE is two government entities combined into one....this one is the Customs segment and only got combined because some of their duties involve border activity.

They do not have to convert a civil issue into a criminal one for the benefit of fat cat corporate scumbags who want to use the law to settle their petty squabbles.