Reader: Brian Hill may be sympathetic target of Righthaven lawsuit, but he did violate copyright

Our item yesterday about Brian Hill, sued by Righthaven for unauthorized use of a Denver Post photo, found many readers springing to the defense of the twenty-year-old mildly autistic hobby blogger. But one commenter believes copyright rules should apply to one and all, no matter how sympathetic a certain individual...

By Michael Roberts

February 16, 2011

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Our item yesterday about Brian Hill, sued by Righthaven for unauthorized use of a Denver Post photo, found many readers springing to the defense of the twenty-year-old mildly autistic hobby blogger. But one commenter believes copyright rules should apply to one and all, no matter how sympathetic a certain individual might be.

BobT1971USM writes:

I hate big, wealthy corporations and lawyers in general, and I agree this is a unusual and sad case, but I think we all agree that we can't have a system where right and wrong depends on your ability to be held accountable. That seems like common sense, too. In the end, Singleton probably won't collect much, if anything, against this 20-year-old man, but until that time Mr. Hill should have to deal with the repercussions of his choice to steal. Going to court sucks, but that's the price you pay when you break the law. Isn't it?

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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