Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia Founder Backs UK Student Wanted By US

LONDON -- The founder of Wikipedia urged British officials on Monday to block the extradition of a 24-year-old British student wanted in the United States over alleged copyright offenses.

Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales expressed support for Richard O'Dwyer, who was arrested at his university dorm in 2010 by British officers accompanied by agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. O'Dwyer's alleged crime was running a file-swapping website called TVShack.net, where users shared links to movies and television shows, many of them protected by copyright.

Wales said merely posting links is not a crime and urged citizens to stand up for their rights online.

"Richard O'Dwyer is the human face of the battle between the content industry and the interests of the general public," Wales said in an online petition posted on Change.org, adding that the student had always done his best to "play by the rules."

By midday Monday the petition to halt O'Dwyer's extradition had gained more than 20,400 signatures.

The Guardian newspaper has thrown its support behind O'Dwyer as well, saying in an editorial published Monday that his case was "unfair" and "absurd."

Comments

[Cydoc]

10:59 AM on 06/26/2012

Because this is an awesome use of money. You know, going after some kid for posting links. God our government is so deep in corp pockets it isn't even funny anymore.

[Anthony Nogales]

04:46 PM on 06/25/2012

This makes me want to pirate more...

[lensman3]

11:59 AM on 06/25/2012

Here in the US, a New York judge recently ruled that because of so much wireless going on now days it is impossible to associate and IP address with on person any longer. That means that law enforcement is going to have that ability any longer - one person, one IP. Just encrypt your hard drive and then let the cops try to find evidence on it.

[lensman3]

11:54 AM on 06/25/2012

Why isn't the US DOJ doing something here at home. The DOJ is the lapdog of NIAA and other groups who are trying to hang on to an economic model which no longer works.

The Megaupload take down is turning into a farce. DOJ do something useful (for a change).

A US citizen.

[Darrell Honrine]

09:35 AM on 06/25/2012

We should arrest the US officials that were there as part of the arrest team. They were operating outside of their jurisdiction.

[lensman3]

11:41 AM on 06/25/2012

As a US citizen, I agree with you. Arrest them and hold them indefinitely.

[lw1]

09:07 AM on 06/25/2012

Sounds like aiding and abetting at the least.

[the grange gorman]

09:00 AM on 06/25/2012

Jimmy is correct , this dude did nothing wrong. The US looks insane to the rest of the world.

[jtabs]

09:20 AM on 06/25/2012

Looks?

[eagletrent242]

09:46 AM on 06/25/2012

I'm from the U.S. The way it's being run IS insane and I will be leaving soon because of it.