What do you think of "stolen" pictures and video being sold?

Apparently Paris Hilton just settled her lawsuit over the video of her and she will be receiving a % of online sales, legal fees, etc. The internet has provided a lot of people the opportunity to distribute material which was shot for personal use or shot without the knowlege of those pictured. I don't see how it is legally workable for some random club kid or stockbroker or whatever Rick Saloman is to video someone without their knowing it and with no model release and no documentation of proof of age etc. and then sell it. In this case, that may mean that the whole thing was a setup and she knew the whole time. Or maybe not.

My thoughts:

If they know about it and give permission: Thats Fine.
If they dont know about it, and didnt agree: Then that , I do not approve of.

Mine's the same opinion as BrightStar's.................... some countries don't believe in copyright............... two years ago my roommate went to China to teach English....... He hit one of the video stores and found Episode 2, Minority Report, MIB 2, and a bunch of other movies that had just come to the theaters......... of course if movie theaters quit raising their fucking ticket prices then perhaps people wouldn't make the attempt at downloading it.

If you are being videotaped without your consent , I totally disagree with that behavior, especially if you are making love. If it is a man you are dating and he had the camera on you and you knew about it, well, you run the risk of having the footage surface at a later time. If he is taping you two getting it on without your knowledge well, that's just criminal. When Paris Hilton's videon came out, I was a bit leary as to whether this was some type of publicity stunt on her part. Only she and Rick Solomon know the answer to that question. This reminds me of how Cameron Diaz gets angry and is eager to throw a lawsuit for things she did when she was trying to become "famous", the latest scandal being her S&M video, hehe. If it was done without written permission, then she has a right to gripe, if she did sign a release, she should deal with it.

It's unfortunate to me that we would look to sell stolen images of each other at all. I suppose it's kind of an thrill to be so voyeuristic and to pull a sort of power trap on someone unsuspecting. It seems like it's all about money, once money is made.

Rick Soloman sold the images and video on the internet himself, says so right in the opening frames. He just got pissed when Paris sold the rights to Redlight District Video and she's now giving away her $400,000 to charity as well as the percentage she recieves every month for One Night in Paris.
Stolen images are another matter entirely. Whether they are nude or not, any image of any one doing anything posted in a public forum without the subject's consent is just flat out cruel. Like pics of an ex passed out drunk, that's just mean.
K

Well technically since Mr. Soloman is IN the video and he shot it for his use...he is part owner of that video no?

She wanted to be famous for being famous...she knew this tape existed...she got what she asked for. If you seek fame all your lil "secrets" will hit the light of day at some point.

Given her nature...I'm willing to think this was all pre-planned with her knowledge.

Soloman gets a percentage too. It's just less than hers. Like every guy in porn he gets paid less than the girl. The dissagreement was there to inspire "controversy" and generate sales.
K

It never occurred to me that it might be a publicity stunt in which Hilton was complicit. Very interesting thought...

On the subject of consent though, all i have to contribute is that as long as there are laws, there will be people who will attempt to pervert the spirit of them to their own gain. Which is not always a bad thing.



~Histrionica~

I think it's lower than whaleshit to steal something intimate and and private from another person and sell it on the open market as whacking material (i.e., Pam & Tommy), no matter how hot and trashy it is.

The Paris tape is a tricky case, since all that dizzy stick-figure wants is fame at any cost, and she clearly has no talents worthy of attention beyond shopping and eating dicks. I haven't observed anything about her that would make me think she'd balk at paricipating in a fake scandal.

If you're famous, videotaping yourself screwing is just idiotic. You know somebody somewhere is gonna get their hands on it. You know they are! I don't feel sorry for celebrities at all. And as far as Paris Hilton goes, I have no desire to see that homely little toothpick do anything...Blugh!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jasperino

And as far as Paris Hilton goes, I have no desire to see that homely little toothpick do anything...Blugh!

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Here here! My sentiments Exacataly!
K

If you'd like to see the video, you can download the Paris Hilton and Rick Saloman hotel sexcaspades at this link.

I kind of think she had to be complicit in the making of this video. The guy is a cut above the average stud from the Valley. I suppose the vid has extra interest just because there is so much interest in it. Kind of meta.

Personally, I think it is illegal to sell material taped in a private setting without a model release, so I question any of the supposedly stolen vids being distributed by real findable companies. If something is just on a Russian server and they bank in St. Kitts, maybe they can't be found, but, if a known US corp is doing the distro . . . well, I just think the stolen thing could be some sort of nice girls put-on.

I think it is spelled Rick Salomon