[ I note that the original posting of this story pulls from the press release of the guy being charged. Not always, but sometimes, people are biased when they are the target of a legal action.

Still, I completely agree that the FBI need not have been involved at all, and that the application of PATRIOT provisions is probably a whole bunch of out of line. The destruction of his equipment is a shame and also really should not be considered appropriate... it's almost got to be punitive - any moron could open a computer without demolishing it... this should especially be true for people whose job it is to take apart computers and do forensics.

Now, the guy is almost certainly guilty of infringment, having apparently hosted episodes of the show on the site, but as others have noted, all of it could've been handled in a civil (and i mean that in every possible connotation) manner, without going jackboots all over the guys life. The MPAA is trying to pull off a RIAA-style fear campaign, but i think they've gone way past reasonable.

I'll be interested to hear more... the details on wether C&D's were sent properly or if adequate efforts were taken to resolve this issue without the FBI are still pretty hazy. -k]

Stargate Information Archive - Federal Charges Filed Against SG-1 Archive