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If you're doing anything interesting, there's a good chance that you'll end up in a courtroom, either criminal or civil. Tons of tech businesses are built on t

If you're doing anything interesting, there's a good chance that you'll end up in a courtroom, either criminal or civil. Tons of tech businesses are built on the back of open disregard for intellectual property and tech access laws. It just takes the wrong combination of events to get hauled in for that. Look at Aaron Swartz, whose conviction proceeded purely based on Carmen Ortiz's desire to get a cybercrime prosecution on her resume. The truth is that a good deal of the work that HN users are likely to get involved in could be considered criminal because of unfair laws like the CFAA, DMCA, and the Copyright Act, all of which prescribe criminal penalties. There are other laws that stalk startups and businessmen, ranging from tax law to esoteric industry regulations. If a businessman makes the wrong person mad, he could easily end up locked in jail. Martin Shkreli is another good example of this -- a few days after he made the news and pissed everyone off, the SEC filed an indictment. They did that because it's easy to accuse anyone who's done anything slightly out of the ordinary of crimes. This really has almost nothing to do with the person's moral fortitude or the harm they've caused in the world, except insofar as you believe that people in authority are unwilling to target innocent people (true pretty often, but not often enough).

tcj_phx 10y ago
> If you're doing anything interesting, there's a good chance that you'll end up in a courtroom, either criminal or civil. Funny you put it that way... I made this account to tell about the time I tried to protect my girlfriend from the mental health system. The hospital wouldn't let her go, so I went to the superior court and got a hearing. The commissioner looked into the matter and ruled that my girlfriend's detention by the hospital was not legal, and ordered the hospital to let her go. I should have called the police to accompany me to retrieve my girlfriend from the hospital's illegal custody. I got attacked by one of the security guards, who I'd later learn knew exactly what to say to the responding police officer because he was a retired cop himself. I got arrested, and my girlfriend was sent to be professionally misdiagnosed and mistreated by the system. That was last September. I'm going back to the courts next week to ask for another hearing. I have looked at the laws regarding compulsory mental health, and have found several that are not being complied with or respected. But... Someone I respect told me soon after I was arrested that... "missionaries get eaten by cannibals." The system perpetuates itself.

tcj_phx 10y ago

> If you're doing anything interesting, there's a good chance that you'll end up in a courtroom, either criminal or civil. Funny you put it that way... I made this account to tell about the time I tried to protect my girlfriend from the mental health system. The hospital wouldn't let her go, so I went to the superior court and got a hearing. The commissioner looked into the matter and ruled that my girlfriend's detention by the hospital was not legal, and ordered the hospital to let her go. I should have called the police to accompany me to retrieve my girlfriend from the hospital's illegal custody. I got attacked by one of the security guards, who I'd later learn knew exactly what to say to the responding police officer because he was a retired cop himself. I got arrested, and my girlfriend was sent to be professionally misdiagnosed and mistreated by the system. That was last September. I'm going back to the courts next week to ask for another hearing. I have looked at the laws regarding compulsory mental health, and have found several that are not being complied with or respected. But... Someone I respect told me soon after I was arrested that... "missionaries get eaten by cannibals." The system perpetuates itself.