Pornographers AF Holdings sued Internet user Josh Hatfield for copyright infringement because an unnamed "Doe" defendant illegally downloaded their porn using his Internet connection. A judge in California just ruled that since Hatfield didn't know about it, it wasn't his fault. Obviously.


Here's what happend: Josh Hatfield left his Wi-Fi connection wide open and some sneaky porn fiend snuck onto his Internet and torrented AF Holdings movies. According to the order written by Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the Northern California District Court, AF holdings claimed that Hatflield had a "duty to secure his Internet connection," and thus he is responsible for the theft. In short, they're accusing Hatfield of negligence. The logic of the claim is that the world is full of bad people and so everyone should rigorously monitor their Internet to preempt evil.

That's obviously ridiculous so Hatfield motioned to dismiss the case and Judge Hamilton agreed. Securing your Wi-Fi is probably a good idea, but you can't sue someone for failing to use a password just like you can't sue someone for leaving their front door unlocked. [Scribd via Torrent Freak via Geekosystem]