OK, folks, this is where the attorney steps in. Civil law suits are expensive propositions, take lots of time, and are a pain in the neck. Only the really rich, such as Disney or other large corporations have the will and resources to use that route. However, there is another. IF, and I don't know if there is, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out, If there is a crime involved, gather all the evidence, such as Antje's pictures, but clearer, so the magazines with titles and such are visible and take it to the police. They may or may not bring charges. The nice thing about the prosecution of a crime, you don't pay the lawyers. You're only the witness. I just checked the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, and the closest one gets is Theft of Services, which has mainly to do with stealing electrical services, cable services, or the usual hotel and motel payment. There's also Theft of Trade Secrets, but that bit says nothing about copyright. If there's any copyright infringem! ent law, it would be federal, as copyrights are federal, but that's not my area. A very cursory perusal, online, shows there may be a crime involving copyright infringement in the US.
If you find something that works, that is a law with criminal sanctions which is being violated, bring all the really good evidence, clear pictures, digital or otherwise, documents, the pirated magazine with the sales receipt, picture of the seller, etc. so the whole prosecution is on a platter, to the police. It's worth a shot, and is much cheaper and easier to do. This is something few people think of, but for those without lots of cash, it is a very good option, provided there is a crime involved, not just that someone has done something wrong. There is a difference. It takes some research to find out if there is a criminal law involved, find out the elements of the crime, bring evidence of those elements to a prosecutor who is willing to do her/his job. Lyn from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, the criminal defense lawyer. >I think people think twice about copying Disney stuff because they are >known to prosecute, but that is expensive. The only way forward there >would be to join forces with other Spanish magazines who are being >treated in this way - I doubt you are the only one. Laws vary from >country to country, but I think this is covered under European copyright >law so you may have some redress there. Although expensive to chase, it >might only take one successful prosecution to make others wary. If >copyright holders are known to sit back and do nothing, then people will >carry on copying as they think they are "safe" doing so. "My email sends out an automatic message. Arachne members, please ignore it. I read your emails." - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
