Police confiscate nine year old girl’s laptop for piracy

People wondered where copyright lobbyist pandering would get us and while we don't necessarily know the destination, the direction is certainly clear. Finnish police have confiscated the Winnie the Pooh adorned laptop of a nine year old girl, accusing her of piracy.

According to Torrentfreak, the story begins back in 2011, when the young girl wanted to listen to the latest album of pop star Chisu. She searched for it on Google and The Pirate Bay but none of the downloads worked. The next day her dad took her to a nearby store and they bought the album. Early this year, her father received a letter from local anti-piracy group CIACP, demanding a payment of 600 euros in recompense for the unusable downloads, or it would escalate the matter.

The man refused and now the CIACP has followed through with its threat. Tuesday morning this week police arrived at the family home and demanded entry. Their warrant gave them the right to search the house and seize the property that was responsible for the downloading, in this case, the laptop of the young girl.

“I got the feeling that there had been people from the MAFIA demanding money at the door,” the girl’s father explained.

“At that point my jaw hit the floor and I wasn’t sure if I was awake or dreaming. So the investigator suggested, between the lines, that I empty my wallet and keep my family in hunger for the next two weeks so that they could get rid of the case? What the f––… is this how it goes? I could evade justice murder by skipping Christmas this year?”

He also pointed out that considering many adults still weren't particularly computer literate, there was no way his daughter could be considered responsible for her actions. “This is the pinnacle of absurdity. I can see artists are in a position, but this requires education and information, not resource-consuming lawsuits,” he added.

Fortunately the artist in question, Chisu, has reached out and apologised for the action, as well as stating clearly she has no plans to sue anyone. She also pointed out a free link to her music via Spotify.

KitGuru Says: Perhaps this is a sign that artists are beginning to understand the negative press it sends their way if lobbyists act on their behalf and target their very fans. What do you guys think?

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