Legal Question in Intellectual Property in California

laws about providing information

what are the laws about providing information. say if someone asked if i have some ''weed'' or say if i sold copied movies, and i say no, but there is a guy on the corner of such and such who you can get it from... is that against the law. i mean can i get in trouble for that?

if so, do you know if it is the same in canada or mexico?

specifically in my situation, there is a guy who downloads adult material from websites, that normally can only be viewed on computers, but he encodes them and makes them viewable on dvd players and sells them, but no one knows about him or his site. i dont know the guy, or any peronsal information about the guy. all i know is the email. since i have a great ebay feedback rating he asked if i advertise/promote his site, by putting up auctions offering winners the information about his site. i make money from auctions he makes money from sales. what risks am i at, and what kinda troubles/legals actions can come my way?

and again does this apply in say canada, or mexico, or britain


Asked on 2/08/05, 1:48 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Keith E. Cooper Keith E. Cooper, Esq.

Re: laws about providing information

If this person is taking copyrighted material without permission, what you described would be a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If you facilitate his profiting from that illegal activity, you could be considered an accomplice. (And, yes, pornography is copyrightable and protectible just as any other form of expression.)

Be aware that copyright violations, and particularly the DMCA, are not just civil violations, but are also prosecuted as crimes by the US Department of Justice (which has an entire cybercrime unit devoted to such things as stealing copyrighted material from the Internet). So, you wouldn't just be facing a private lawsuit, you could be facing prison time and a fine, as well.

PLEASE NOTE: This response is posted for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or as creating an attorney-client relationship. The information given is general in nature and may or may not apply in your particular situation.

Read more
Answered on 2/08/05, 2:57 pm
Michael Stone Law Offices of Michael B. Stone Toll Free 1-855-USE-MIKE

Re: laws about providing information

Read attorney Cooper's post about aiding and abetting. Also, assuming you are not presently already involved in pornography or drug dealing, why on earth would you want to become involved? It's not worth it.

Read more
Answered on 2/08/05, 3:19 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Intellectual Property questions and answers in California