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Richard O'Dwyer settles piracy case for £20,000

By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 7 Dec 2012 at 16:00

Richard O'Dwyer has ended his two-year battle against extradition to the US with a £20,000 settlement.

O'Dwyer was targeted by US authorities over his TVShack.net website, which linked to places people could watch TV shows online. He was accused of copyright infringement, and faced extradition.

Last month, O'Dwyer accepted a "deferred prosecution" deal, which meant he would avoid extradition and a court trial. Under that deal, he won't get a criminal record.

I still maintain I never thought I was committing a crime

At the start of the case, US authorities told UK courts that O'Dwyer had made $230,000 in advertising on the site over three years. The £20,000 settlement represents the profits he made from the site, according to The Independent, and will be divided up among the companies whose copyright was infringed by O'Dwyer's website.

"I'm happy it's finally over," O'Dwyer told the BBC. "I still maintain I never thought I was committing a crime... I'm glad the US has decided to drop the case. It's a pity the UK wasn't able to resolve this."

Jim Killock, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, said O'Dwyer's campaign against extradition had been "heroic". He added: "Extradition is an extreme response to copyright infringement."

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User comments

Would we extradite car theives to the USA?

The whole "piracy is like stealing a car" is their analogy, so if Ford demanded a prolific car thief, stealing cars in this country, be extradited to the USA, would the request be greeted with anything but derision?
So why when NO LAW was broken and the accused was not even infringing copyright, but linking to files that did, should this ever have gone so far?
These laws were created to combat terrorism, not enforce corporate willpower outside the laws of the UK.

By cheysuli on 7 Dec 2012

Jurisdiction, not extradition

is what is wrong here - would it have been acceptable if O'Dwyer had gone on holiday to the States and been arrested while there for something he did while in the UK?

These extraterritorial jurisdiction claims are profoundly undemocratic. I have no say in US law and I should not be under threat of prosecution under US law unless I voluntarily go there and am accused of a crime while there.

Which is exactly why Julian Assange SHOULD be extradited to Sweden whether or not we agree with their law, it is democratically decided by the Swedes.

By JohnAHind on 7 Dec 2012

@JohnAHind

Spot on, how on Earth can someone that has never been to the US be extradited there for breaking a crime he commited here? Why not send me to China as I'm sure i've broken a law there from time to time.

If O'Dwyer travelled there under his own free will they are entitled to arrest him.

By JStairmand on 8 Dec 2012

@JohnAHind

I sort of agree, but on the other hand, he was posting links to content "stolen" in the USA...

For the car thief analogy, like stealing a car in America and exporting it to the UK.

By big_D on 10 Dec 2012

@nik_endeavour

More like publishing a map with all the chop shop garages in the USA as well.

That is the "problem", he committed the "crime" in the UK, but he alegedly infringed copyright in America.

I still think the media companies should have brought their case against him in the UK.

By big_D on 10 Dec 2012

@big_D

More like publishing a map with all the chop shop garages in the UK

By nik_endeavour on 11 Dec 2012

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