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No, the owner of the car is not always liable for the ticket. Car rental companies will not pay fines you accrue just because they are the legal owners of the c
by mustpax 15y ago
No, the owner of the car is not always liable for the ticket. Car rental companies will not pay fines you accrue just because they are the legal owners of the car. The dog ownership analogy has even less merit. A dog is not a sane person in the eyes of the law so as a guardian you are responsible for keeping your dog in line. On the other hand, a person who is using your WiFi for whatever illicit purposes is responsible for their own actions.
- roel_v 15y ago...because when you sign the car rental agreement, you agree to pay back any fines. Whoever cashes these fines will get their money from the rental agency, and they will then get it from you (or sue you for breach of contract if you don't pay them). I was not saying that the dog did anything consciously. The point is that there is a class of liabilities that do no depend on being 'factually responsible' for something. You can have no power whatsoever to prevent something, and still be liable for it. That makes the case for this wireless network even stronger - there is something you can do as an owner. You can take reasonable measures to stop others from using it. It makes perfect sense to hold people responsible for enabling the improper use by others. (note also that I'm not claiming that somebody who has an open access point will be jailed for child pornography; what I'm saying is that there is a very reasonable case to be made for holding people accountable for not taking proper care of their property (wifi network) that will enable others to use it illicitly).