Michael Crook apologizes to internet for DMCA abuse

Xeni Jardin

12:25 pm Wed, Mar 14, 2007

Former DMCA abuser Michael Crook today apologizes to the entire internet for his takedown campaign and his attacks on free speech. BoingBoing was one of his targets.

~~We accept his apology, we applaud his change of heart, and we welcome him back from the dark side.~~ [Update: Ah, bummer. Spoke too soon. See the comments below for news of Crook’s latest evil deeds.
Judging from material recently posted on Mr. Crook’s various websites, it would appear he remains a racist, a holocaust denier, and an enemy of the same constitutional protections for free speech that allow him to promote homophobia, white supremacy, or any other beliefs others may find objectionable.]

Congratulations and huge respect to Jason Schultz and others at the Electronic Frontier Foundation for their hard work on this case, and for defending the rights of all of us online. Snip from the EFF’s announcement:

Michael Crook, the man behind a string of
meritless online copyright complaints, has agreed to
withdraw those complaints, take a copyright law course, and
apologize for interfering with the free speech rights of
his targets.
The agreement settles a lawsuit against Crook filed by the
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on behalf of Jeff
Diehl, the editor of the Internet magazine 10 Zen Monkeys.
Diehl was forced to modify an article posted about Crook’s
behavior in a fake sex-ad scheme after Crook sent baseless
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices,
claiming to be the copyright holder of an image used in the
story. In fact, the image was from a Fox News program and
legally used as part of commentary on Crook. But Crook
repeated his claims and then attempted to use the same
process to get the image removed from other websites
reporting on his takedown campaign.
“Crook’s legal threats interfered with legitimate debate
about his controversial online behavior,” said EFF Staff
Attorney Jason Schultz. “Public figures must not be
allowed to use bogus copyright claims to squelch speech.”
In addition to withdrawing current complaints against Diehl
and every other target of his takedown campaign and taking
a copyright law course, Crook has also agreed to limit any
future DMCA notices to works authored or photographed by
himself or his wife, or where the copyright was
specifically assigned to him. All future notices must also
include a link to EFF information on his case, as well as
the settlement agreement. Crook has also recorded a video
statement to apologize and publicize the dangers of abusing
copyright law.

Video Link for the video statement from Michael Crook. Link for more on Diehl v. Crook. EFF announcement link. 10ZenMonkeys has a post here.

Update, 757PM PT: Scott Beale has a post here.

(thanks, James Tyre, Jason Schultz, and Scott Beale!)

Reader comment: Maury Duchamp says,

unfortunately i don’t think he’s back from the dark side yet. among
some of his other hateful views, he’s still a holocaust denier.
and considering this video apology is something that was forced on him
to settle a lawsuit, and not truly of his free will, i think there is
very little to applaud yet.

Konrad in Amsterdam says,

Michael Crook is definitely not back from the dark side yet, as can
be seen by his latest project, http://www.stopfairuse.info/.
Hi basic idea – copyright holders should be able to sue people if they quote a line
of text .. seems like he did not digest the 10zenmonkeys counterattack.
anyways see yourself.

Anonymous says,

He is supposedly an ordained minister, willing to do marriages, etc., but check out his terms.

Here’s a snip from http://www.michaelcrook.biz/weddings.html:

Michael Crook can perform your wedding ceremony, as he is an ordained minister.
At this time, service is limited to Central NY state, and the below fees apply. Also,
service will not be offered when the following applies: interracial or gay marriages (…)

bbum says,

You forgot homophobe. Crook calls Diehl Queer or Uber-Queer looking at least twice in his personal account of the conclusion of the DMCA case (http://www.michaelcrook.org/thedmcacase.html). Unrelated, Crook is also a Harry Potter film fan. Or, at least, a fan of the actress Emma Watson. He enthusiastically noted that she will be 17 and, thus, legal in the state of New York as of April 15th. Creep Factor 10. Must. Wash. Hands/Eyes. Now.

Anonymous says,

I kept following this Micheal Crook story with a certain fascination,
and I found this little gem here, which shows how there is definitely
NO returning from the dark side: Link.
I don’t know, I just thought you might be interested to see his actual
opinion, especially when he insults the EFF.