Winny Creator Found Innocent

isamu-kaneko-innocent-in-osaka.jpg

In a surprise decision, an Osaka court has found Isamu Kaneko, the creator of Japan’s hugely popular anonymous P2P file-sharing program Winny, innocent of all charges.

The 39-year-old computer scientist was initially accused of being an accomplice to the crimes of the users of his software, despite having no contact with them or any culpability other than being the developer of the software.

In 2006 he was found guilty of abetting copyright infringement and fined $15,000, with the prosecution seeking a year in prison.

However, he appealed the verdict, and the Osaka High Court finally reversed the previous decision and proclaimed him innocent. A presiding judge ruled that “merely being aware of the possible infringing uses does not constitute abetting the crimes.”

Although the logic of his prosecution would suggest that the likes of Microsoft should be held responsible for enabling criminal activity through the use of its Windows operating system, software which is found in the possession of most computer using criminals, most observers thought a guilty verdict a foregone conclusion.

Via Sankei.


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    Avatar of Palmtop  Tsundere
    Comment by Palmtop Tsundere
    13:10 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    All he did was create a tool. He cannot be held responsable for how people use this tool.

    Comment by Anonymous
    Comment by Anonymous
    17:31 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    All I did was invent the nuclear bomb, I cannot be held responsible for why millions are dead!

    Comment by Anonymous
    18:10 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    In that case the responsable for the millions of dead is the jerk who pressed the launch button. Probably the president of USA.

    Avatar of LunarSD
    Comment by LunarSD
    18:14 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Also truth.

    Though your sarcastic attempt at phrasing this to sound like creating a tool is somehow the same act as using it gave me a nice laugh.

    One person's human curiosity caused the invention of the bomb, but it takes another person's human curiosity to cause the use of the bomb.

    It takes 2 to tango, as they say.

    Also, the bomb is a tool that turns off human curiosity.

    Seems like a fair, self-regulating system to me.

    Comment by Anonymous
    04:02 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    "but it takes another person's human curiosity to cause the use of the bomb"

    That is not human curiosity, that is malicious intent. Its invention could pass as curiosity but its use cannot be forgiven...

    Avatar of LunarSD
    Comment by LunarSD
    04:28 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Semantics, but I generally agree.

    The only exception would be if they were using the bomb in a desert or some such for research purposes.

    Though one would hope we've learned basically all there really is to learn already, and there no longer is any legitimate reason to set one of those things off.

    -

    Anyway, if someone did attempt to nuke some place, I get the feeling that this Isamu Kaneko character (the guy this article is about) would dress in spandex and fly halfway across the globe in an instant, grab the bomb by hand and launch it off into space for us.

    Seriously, that guy looks like he gets shit done.

    Comment by Anonymous
    04:34 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    too bad had we not nuked Japan, they would have been invaded by both americans and the russians, millions of casualties one the allies side, and millions more casualties on the japanese side. Japan would have been split into a communist and non communist part ike germany, and anime and all these other japanese things you love today wouldnt be around

    Comment by Anonymous
    04:07 11/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Just forget the "sides" and the "ifs", no mater who is the enemy, I (or most of the people) can't imagine myself giving the order to drop those bombs on all that people... what "would be" is by no means an excuse to this massacre.

    Comment by Anonymous
    18:10 11/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    You are comparing apples and oranges, using only the "tool" concept. On top of that, you are comparing an amoral computer programme with a weapon; one out of many, which suggests that the particular weapon was chosen more for shock effect than a logical comparison. Since sensationalism has now been revealed as the goal rather than a fair comparison, the arguement is false, illogical and specious.

    BTW, if you refer to the nuclear weapons, your logic is doubly flawed:
    -the weapon had only been used twice in the 65 years since its creation; how does this compare to blades, slug throwers, poison gas, etc.?
    -whenever the weapon has been 'improved,' at least in modern times, it was either by detonating a real weapon underground or by using computer simulation. How often have the previous listed weapons 'improved' in computer simulation, rather than applying it to its intended victim?
    -the weapon, in its two uses, resulted in the deaths of 120,000 humans (I will not go into future deaths due to ionization radiation). For only being used twice, that makes the weapon 'cleaner' that the incindiary bombings of Dresden, Coventry or Tokyo; whereas the death toll due to the above listed weapons has exceeded the millions in each category, with no sign of letting up.

    And they say nuclear war would be (future indeterminate - could be - is better) unrestrained

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:51 21/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    a guy was bashed to death with a toaster, FUCK YOU TOASTER + GUY WHO CREATED TOASTERS!

    Comment by Anonymous
    18:17 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    All I did was rape a loli, I can't... oh shit!

    Comment by Anonymous
    19:36 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    "it can't be help" is the only reason and an end you can ever use for that scenario. NEVER. forget. that.

    Comment by Nin
    20:25 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Anon :36 makes me lol.

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:32 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    All I did was to put in the word "paedophile" in the Oxford dictionary, I cannot be held responsible for why lolis are getting raeped

    Avatar of Omochikaeri
    Comment by Omochikaeri
    17:09 11/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Correct, because in this scenario it is "it couldn't be helped."

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:31 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Remember dynamite? It's was made for mining, and look what the military use it for.

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:44 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Remember the military, it was made to protect citizens and look what the government use it for.

    Comment by Anonymous
    00:55 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Remember the government, it was made to lead people and look what the politicians use it for.

    Comment by Anonymous
    02:24 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Remember Sankaku, it was made to be a blog and look what Equality use it for.

    Comment by Anonymous
    20:01 11/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Remember Equality Now? It was made to combat sexism but look at what women use it for.

    Comment by Anonymous
    04:13 15/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    ccccccombo breaker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:53 21/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    WIN anon 20:01

    Comment by Anonymous
    04:09 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    All I did was invent the corndog, I cannot be held responsible for the delicious choking deaths.

    Avatar of Chris
    Comment by Chris
    10:06 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Yeah 17:31 Anon, we should put the scientists who worked on the Manhattan project in jail! Whichever ones are still alive anyway.

    Hurrrrrrrrrrrr

    Comment by Schrobby
    23:07 10/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Why? They were too dumb to build the bomb, it was stolen from the nazis.

    Avatar of kajunbowser
    Comment by kajunbowser
    21:18 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Oppenheimer ftw.

    Comment by MusicalNote
    00:53 10/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    The person at fault is the one who USES the tool. If someone used a hammer to smash a guy's head in you arrest the man that used the hammer, not the one that made it.

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:11 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    GOOD. P2P is never wrong.

    Comment by Anonymous
    14:37 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    ^QFT, mate. QFT... ^_^

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:51 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    「間違っていたのはP2Pじゃない、世界のほうだっ!!」

    - ル〇-シュ(18歳・男・エリア11)

    Comment by Anonymous
    18:33 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Rough TL: What's wrong is not the P2P (system), but the world's law.

    Comment by SnooSnoo
    19:20 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    You forgot the second part.

    Rurushu(Lelouch) (18 Years Old. Area 11)

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:56 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    there never right or wrong, just thinking make it so

    Comment by Anonymous
    00:37 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Correction there mate:

    "It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."

    W.Shakespeare

    from: Hamlet Act 2

    Avatar of kajunbowser
    Comment by kajunbowser
    21:19 09/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Agreed. +9000

    Comment by MasterInfamous
    13:11 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Could've sworn he was Chinese.

    Avatar of EyE
    Comment by EyE
    Comment by Anonymous
    13:52 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    He could be from anywhere, but I swear he IS NOT Asian...

    Comment by Anonymous
    18:49 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    well now isn't that obvious...

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:28 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I'M ON TO YOU, MASTERINFAMOUS!

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:12 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    What's this? A court that makes a fair and logical decision? Why can't we get these in the US?

    Comment by Anonymous
    Avatar of Sylar
    Comment by Sylar
    14:44 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Do much corporate interest and money depended judges to get such fairness in the US.

    Comment by Anonymous
    23:42 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Logic has a price in the US law system.

    Avatar of Omochikaeri
    Comment by Omochikaeri
    17:10 11/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    > A court that makes a fair and logical decision? Why can't we get these in the US?
    > Why can't we get these in the US?
    > US

    You answered your own question.

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:19 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    EXACTLY AS PLANNED.

    Comment by Anonymous
    Comment by Anonymous
    13:21 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    What happened to his left arm?

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:25 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Hes been busy useing his own tool.

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:24 08/10/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Banzai P2P share

    Comment by Anonymous




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