Hmm. At least for me, I think his video apology redeemed him somewhat instead of embarrassing him. Where my perception of him was previously that of a nutcase, he appeared to be a sane articulate person in the video. Rather ironic.

keep in mind what this case was about. it was a screen shot of a video clip found on Crook’s own site, which he was serving DMCA notices about. if anyone is to blame for the video, it’s me, since it was my idea.

but, i felt it was appropriate for two reasons:

1. we had to send a strong message about this particular type of abuse in the absence of an outright change in the law; and

2. it was a case founded in imagery and Crook’s own attempts to gain video exposure, which he ultimately used as a weapon against his critics — not cool.

having said that, i was concerned about this appearing to have a “hostage video” quality, but Crook actually wrote most of the script he’s reading; a lot of his own propaganda made it to the final draft.

Yeah, that’s humiliating in my book and you’re right about the oppressed becoming the oppressor in this case as I ended up feeling sorry for the creep as he humiliated others as a sad individual whereas he has basically been publicly humiliated here by a group claiming to be upholding other people’s rights. Not much of a difference really.

Wonder if this is going to develop into a trend.

Mike, if you really felt that way you wouldn’t have EMBEDDED THE VIDEO ON THE FRONT PAGE OF YOUR BLOG.

Oppressor!

Ottimun this video

Might as well include a link to this fool on fox news…I think he had it coming…they should have made him tattoo the word “idiot” on his forehead in the settlement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQa8G3336fQ

Jeff - that helps put this in perspective, thanks for the comment. How zealous was the EFF in taking on this case? They’ve come to me at least twice with requests to represent me in one case or another (the last time was against YouTube when they sent me a cease & desist letter), and I’ve always said no thanks.

The Fox News appearance was actually in 2005. Crook was promoting his web site — “Forsake the Troops” — which argued soldiers were overpaid and cheering when they were killed. (And Crook is also a holocaust denier.)

Honestly, if anyone’s humiliating Crook in public — I think he’s doing it to himself. He’s taken extreme positions — and gone on nationwide TV to publicize them. Throughout the six months of this case, Crook never admitted his mistake; instead he continued arguing loudly that the Fair Use arguments were wrong and the DMCA allowed his harassment of all web sites publishing a picture of him that he didn’t like.

I think the settlement just “rights” the damage Crook had set out to inflict on free speech. He states in an equally prominent public forum that his past actions and misuse of copyright law were wrong. (And notice that the DMCA waived all financial penalties for the twenty-something “griefer” in exchange for a purely abstract and ideological victory?)

that Fox Video is where the still image that caused this whole mess came from. Crook DMCAd me after we were critical of his craigslist stunt, but that appearance was for another site of his, foresakethetroops.info (US troops are paid too high a salary).

he had that clip on his site for the whole world to see. he was already a public figure, and yet, he didn’t like it when i placed that image on top of an article critical of him.

i maintain that the video apology was appropriate given the context.

He made a huge mistake and now he pays.

http://www.youtubemyblog.blogspot.com

“Defending individuals against huge multi-corporation entities is one thing. Destroying human dignity is something else”

I *MIGHT* agree if Crook were human. He’s clearly an evolutionary throw back. The guy is a Holocaust denier and general waste of skin.

A lot of stuff hasn’t been written including his threatening some of us with physical harm.

Michael-

the EFF were “eager,” i’d say. but 10 Zen Monkeys is still a very small publication whose operations are significantly affected if we feel we have to change hosts, which we did - it didn’t take much for me to say “yes,” even though it was clear from the start there would be no major money award.

we don’t like to be pressured by anyone concerning the content of our articles, even if we’re not making tons of money!

you should take Crook’s own words for it (on his blog, which URL i won’t provide here): he says Jason Schultz and Corynne McSherry were ethical and professional with him.

finally, another “eager” party was Scott Beale at Laughing Squid, which is where i moved to after my first DMCA from Crook. when Crook sent another notice to LS, Beale was, as an OSP, quite alarmed. as he should be, imo.

possibly the worst shave job ever? i think so.

Payback can be very painful. Come see for yourself http://www.paybackisapicture.com

I’m with paul, mike. You claim to take some kind of high ground over the EFF and essentialy call their actions border on “Destroying human dignity” whilst at the same time posting the same material. Speaking as a fan of you and the site - and regardless of the rights and wrongs of the bigger issue of whether his actons deserved this or not - this post is a cheap shot and does not reflect well on you in my opinion.

You reap what you sow.

scott-

i would encourage you to find out the “bigger issue” of this case before you decide whose reflection is tarnished in all this.

That guy sucks.

@jsutevan - no, don’t think it was the worst shave job ever, but a not-so-subtle statement which negates anything that he’s saying.

And, that’s coming from someone that IS a bad shaver.

Bad shave job? Hmmmm. Is it me or does it look like a faint Hitlerstache?

That guy’s a dick. And he was creating a precedent that could have led to a lot of people’s lives getting screwed for privately doing legal things that would get them in trouble if exposed because Amerika can’t handle the truth!

I threw the Amerika part in for effect but you know what I’m talking about.

I will say I’m not a big eye for an eye type guy but, after living through Reagan, Bush & Bush, I’m pretty much ready to chop heads with little provocation.

I’d have told the EFF to go **** itself…. but that said, I’d not have gotten myself into such a stupid predicament in the first place.

datter

EFF did not destroy this guy. He did it himself.

“Destroying human dignity is something else.”. Nope. This guy had no dignity to destroy. End of argument.

Rob

Take his picture off the homepage. My eyes! My eyes are burning!

Wow, that’s rough. I love revenge as much as the next guy, but ouch.

I mean, I’m glad he got his comeuppance, because the guy’s a real piece of work - sending DMCA takedowns on a screencap that belonged to Fox News? Seriously - but this makes the EFF seem a little unhinged.

He is crazy… crazy like a fox. But his face is still quite unfortunate.

The lesson here is: don’t screw people over if you aren’t smart enough to get away with it. Crook wasn’t, he didn’t, and he doesn’t deserve any sympathy.

As for the EFF. they are about as relevant and influential as the Hare Krishnas. Yawn.

I think this is a small price to pay for the pain and suffering he has inflicted on others, indeed he should be grateful he didn’t end up in prison, which is where I’m sure many were hoping he’d end up.

What an embarassing situation for everybody. People need some sense.

meh - I saw this clown on the news when he was doing his whole ForsakeTheTroops thing. He gets his 15 seconds of fame every now and then - about damn time someone put him in his place.

The video of his ForsakeTheTroops interview on FOX News zipped around the Air Force’s network so fast and much we were told to stop emailing it around. Everyone was sending it around with, “OMG Can you believe this asshat?” comments.

If you ask me, Crook got off easy. He read his own script filled with excuses and side comments, rolled his eyes while reading it, and went back to posting nasty stuff on his blog. He’s loving every minute of the attention he’s getting. Besides he stripped himself of his human dignity when he went on TV attacking soldiers.

That guy looks like a crook.

Can you please post something else on TechCrunch so that when I visit the home page I don’t have to see his funny face? I’m sick of him.

# a concerned citizen

March 14th, 2007 at 3:08 pm

That guy sucks.

people can change maybe you become the old michael crook

Mike,
I’m not sure how you can say the following in relation to this case: “the EFF may be getting a tad over zealous in its desire to defend our right to violate copyright and other intellectual property laws.”

There was no such violation. Crooks was engaging in out-and-out harassment. In the EFF’s words, their goal here was to “protect online free speech from the chilling effects of bogus intellectual property claims.” We should be loudly (and proudly) supporting their eagerness to support these cases, not suspicious of it as you seem to be.

In terms of the fairness of these settlement terms, you seem to be suggesting that a demand for a public apology brings EFF to “the same level as Crook,” who viciously exposed compromising information from others. That’s deeply counter-intuitive. An apology does not destroy the giver’s “human dignity”; in fact, it has the potential to redeem it. Given the public awareness and effect of his breach, a publicized correction and apology is a meaningful remedy, not a vindictive act.

The fact that Crook humiliates himself every time he opens his mouth is not directly related to EFF’s intentions, which in this case are justice and public awareness of free speech rights.

The EFF destroying human dignity? Where exactly have you been Mike? Michael Crook may appear pathetic and beaten in his video, but trust me, he deserves every bit of the humiliation deemed upon him.

Never mind that he is a Holocaust denier, an anti-semite, misogynist and a racist (per several of his blogs which may have been taken down by now), he caused an enormous amount of grief for several of your friends like Scott Beale and Kevin Burton for several months. Kevin was even physically threatened by this maniac.

You can find the entire saga here:

http://laughingsquid.com/eff-s.....ca-claims/

I’m a little surprised that this is coming as a surprise to you.

As I said, where have you been?

I don’t understand how the public could turn against the TRUE KING OF GONDOR so quickly.

Overboard on the EFFs part or not, I find it kinda sad and silly that this guy sorta realized his goals.

I’m sure his name will be associated with ultra-public web humiliation for years to come ala’ “You better not publish unconfirmed facts or you’ll get crooked”

I am glad someone got some justice, but like you Michael I hope the pendulum does not swing so far that it cuts off innocent (or relatively innocent) heads too. I had a guy email me and post comments 12 times over a numeric error.

That is one ugly, ugly man.

Michael Arrington;

I completely agree with you. Crook is a loser (no doubt about that), but I agree that the EFF went too far. The fact that they are “ambulance chasing” you just pushes them even further IMO.

I pretty much agree with you, Mike. He may have “deserved” it, but the video gave me extremely mixed feelings. I’m glad 10ZM and Laughing Squid won a settlement, but the EFF is very close to crossing a line here.

Dignity, you say?

EFF crossing the line?

Screw this guy. He should get worse than mere humiliation, and if you give him humiliation, heap it on!

What about all of the people he hurt? What do they get? Surely not enough to make up for *their* humiliation?

Any ethical calculation finds him deserving of far more trouble, expense, and humiliation than he has received so far. Let those affected decide his fate. My guess is that they don’t think that he has yet suffered enough, or ever could.

And, those settlements for the various sites affected? Whatever they got, it was not nearly enough for their trouble.

Really, screw him. He is a looser. Not a nice person. Let him pay a very heavy price. He deserves no pitty and no support.

Those of you who defend his dignity and claim his punishment too severe tarnish yourselves.

Michael Crook’s video apology is instructive and informative on the proper use of the DMCA in a compelling fashion. Though Crook appears to embarrass himself in the video. He has a history of being deceptive and online stunts to what appear to be for attention. It is reasonable that he presented himself as he did in the video to get sympathy and some reaction against the EFF.

Mike, have to disagree with you on this one. I’m personally glad that the EFF is there as a resource and glad that they stepped in in this case. Michael Crook was trying to misuse the DMCA to censor and silence his critics, most of whom were small time bloggers. These people don’t always have the resources to pursue legal action of this sort.

By threatening people (and his threats worked by the way in some cases, Yahoo pulled down and destroyed not only his photo but commentary that I’d written critical of Crook as well as comments on the issue from a number of other flickr users) Crook was pursuing a path designed to censor his critics. His DMCA claim was clearly false but he was having success with it.

If all anyone has to do is misuse the DMCA without fear of repercussion in order to censor something we are all that much worse off. If Crook had sent his DMCA notice to TechCrunch’s upstream provider and they ended up turning your blog off you’d be pissed.

By pursuing this case the EFF sent a powerful message to those who would think to use the DMCA fraudulently and hopefully prevent further cases of it’s misuse in the future.

Like you I do kind of feel sorry for the guy. I had to remove a comment from my blog because someone posted the street address of his wife (separated) and daughter. People are obviously pissed at the guy — but his plight aside (as they say you make your bed you lay in it) it was important for the EFF to send a message to prevent more DMCA abuse from happening to you or me or any other blogger in the future.

Oh and for the record, thomashawk.com, Zooomr and both our upstream providers were also sent bogus DMCA notices by this guy.

I’m in total agreement with “Got What He Deserved” (#47). This guy is a real bottom-feeder, and it’s more than well-documented all over teh internets. It’s not even just this, the Craig’s List crap, or the Forsake the Troops filth. The dude’s got serious issues, and if you knew them you’d feel not one bit of sympathy for him whatsoever.

Thomas Hawk (#46), his street address is already all over the internet. Don’t feel bad about someone doing that–it’s not like it was outed in your comments.

And yes, I (or rather, my hosting service) was sent a bulls…. DMCA notice as well.

the guy is a freak; look at his forehead; his eyes are even fucked up. Its like he wanted to be the bitch on craigslist cause with looks like that even prositutes have to clkose their eyes.

OWNED!!!!

Next up: those perverted justice basement boys

ps. what an awkward dude

Frankly, removing photos of that face from the public domain is in the public interest.

Ross

So funny

@Ross:

It seems like a pretty bad precedent to publically humiliate someone, even if they seem to deserve it. It feels like a high schooler thing to do vs. somethingthat was mandated by a rights-protecting nonprofit entity.

LOL, one tip when making a video of yourself. Shave off your Hitler mustache first!!!!

Jeff - I am familiar with the case and personally do not have a problem with the video or the deal the EFF got on your behalf. My minor gripe was with Mike on one hand saying ” the creation of this video, it seems to me that they’re lowering themselves to the same level as Crook” whilst at the same time embedding the same video in his post, thereby, by his own line of argument also bringing himself down to that same level. My own view is that there is nothing wrong with the video, and it is a good and effective way of addressing the subject matter.

The DMCA is already too far reaching as it stands. To allow illegitimate DMCA takdown notices to continue to circulate is unacceptable. I applaude the EFF in their effort to silence these false “intimidators.” Who else will defend the small blog or news outlet who revceives one of these notices? Maybe Michael has enough cash to fund his own defense in such cases–most do not.

A HUGE thank you to the EFF!

The guy has been completely humiliated in public now, which makes for great content,

Great content? Useless content.. he deserves what he gets, but I would call this pretty lame material. Agree with all your other points tho, right on about the opressed/opressor angle.

A really bright guy once said, “What stands in the way, becomes the way.” I stand fully behind the EFF and their action in this case. What other group is standing up and saying that we have a right to be happy and pursue the potential that the state of our technology allows us? Whatever his motivation, Crook was attempting to apply a standard of behavior to others that is not logical, or ultimately, enforceable. Or beneficial, for that matter. I can only envision a happy future where both individuals and corporate entities (anyone from the RIAA reading this?) are regularly and publicly brought to account for attempting to control the uncontrollable and to profit themselves thereby.

Michael Crook is now promoting eliminating the Fair Use statute:

http://www.stopfairuse.info/

Michael Crook’s other video on the EFF settlement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWVJG7lr6UE

Just read through all of the comments and there’s key stuff people missed from just reading the article and not the comments:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007.....nt-1223836
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007.....nt-1223899
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007.....nt-1223925

Would love to see the article get update with some of Jeff’s comments (notably that the video was his suggestion, not the EFF’s)

Would it have been better or worse if the EFF had sought a large financial settlement? I’m sure Mr. Crook is pleased that he only got a public scolding for his offenses. And I’m guessing that the EFF chose this remedy as a fitting punishment for the crime.

The important thing here is that someone got him to stop.

Wow… thats about all I can say about this guy. I have no idea what his problem is. Maybe he is angry for getting beat with the ugly stick- I dont know.