Pub landlord fined for patron’s illegal wi-fi download

The owner of a pub has been fined £8,000 for someone else’s unlawful download over his wi-fi network.

So reports ZDNet UK, who spoke to the Managing Director of the wi-fi hotspot provider, The Cloud.

He didn’t name the pub involved, but said that there had been a successful prosecution by the rights holder, which had led to the fine being instigated over the summer.

It’s certainly a controversial ruling, and seems more than a little unfair to us.

If someone gets drunk in a pub and assaults another customer, is the landlord arrested because he supplied the drink?

No, it’s the individual who has to take responsibility for their own conduct. And so it should be in the case of downloading.