back to article Indian software pirating suspect faces US extradition

An alleged software counterfeiter from India faces possible US extradition. Nikhil Kablekar, 29, a resident in the Mumbai suburb of Andheri, was arrested by Indian police Wednesday afternoon over alleged hacking and copyright violation offences. Computers, CDs, USB sticks and other evidence was seized from his home by Mumbai …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    World police

    The US is truly trying to police the world now.

    Of course there is already an FBI presence in India at the Embassy.

    1. g e

      Re: World police

      CIA, surely?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    WTF ?

    Septic Tanks throwing their (considerable) weight around again. Why not respect local justice and prosecute in the Indian courts ? Just can't break their habit of illegal rendition can they.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: WTF ?

      This bloke should just think how lucky he is, jumping the visa queue at the US embassy, and US immigration.

      But more likely it has nothing to do with the merits of the case, and it is just the Yanks jealous that globally they lock up the highest proportion of their population (0.7%), and India locks up the lowest (0.03%). America wants to level that playing field, and you've got to start somewhere.

  3. g e
    Devil

    FBI travel to question him

    With a large body-shaped empty diplomatic bag in the back of the car

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I've been running a dodgy copy of Winzip for years.

    Should I change my name and move to Ukraine?

  5. Eponymous Cowherd
    WTF?

    Huh?

    Reading the report, Kablekar committed the crimes in India and didn't access any US based assets.

    If that is the case (and it may not be), then I can't see how this would have anything to do with US law enforcement.

    It's like France seeking to extradite someone 'cos they nicked a sodding Citroen.

    1. BristolBachelor Gold badge
      Joke

      Re: Huh?

      It doesn't seem to matter what the crime (if any) or where it was commited (or not).

      As for why extradition? Perhaps the Predators can't fly that far from their bases protecting Pakistan?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Thumb Down

        Re: Huh?

        > It doesn't seem to matter what the crime (if any) or where it was commited (or not).

        No it doesn't that is for the trial to decide, extradition is equivalent to arrest and a police charge.

        > It's like France seeking to extradite someone 'cos they nicked a sodding Citroen.

        More like France seeking to extradite somebody because they nicked the plans for a Citroen, then set up a factory to produce there own copies. Just as Citroen (a French company) would want the offense decided by French law, if it is US software copyright that has been infringed they will want the offense decided by US law.

        1. Oninoshiko
          Trollface

          Re: Titus Technophobe

          now now, you're being all REASONABLE, we cant have logic interfearing with a good anti-colonial rant!

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Thumb Up

            Re: Titus Technophobe

            I'm always reasonable well apart from suggesting on odd occasions people are horse whipped. Now then admittedly that has little to do with logic and more is a peccadillo. But we all have them, crops, whips. mud, nylons ...... wandering off topic a bit sorry.

        2. Thorne

          Re: Huh?

          "No it doesn't that is for the trial to decide, extradition is equivalent to arrest and a police charge."

          Yeah except how is an Indian peon going to afford a US lawyer? He'll end up with a court appointed one who might be able to talk the death penality down to life in prison.

          Of course the US software companies want it tried in the US. Odds are it's either not illegal or a 20 rupee fine. They can't apply for the death penality in India.

          If you not a US citizen and not living in the US, then you shouldn't be subject to US laws. If you want to sue an Indian then go to India and do it through Indian law.

    2. mhenriday
      Big Brother

      Eponymous :

      that's Citroën, merci ! And besides, the US government and its (in)justice system enjoys universal jurisdiction (wherever they can get away with it) - didn't they teach you that in school ? Why else do you suppose that 53 cents on every USD that the federal government manages to collect in taxes from the non-evading portion of the US population goes to military and (in)security related expenditures (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q0Os3q2p86Q) ?...

      Henri

  6. Benny
    Thumb Down

    Why are the FBI so interested in counterfiting CDs ... in India?

    Really? Thats what they consider important?

    1. Shane8
      Joke

      National Security of course...

    2. kain preacher

      Counterfeit items there are some times shipped to the US. They believe terrorist groups sale pirated stuff to make money.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "they believe terrorist groups sale pirated stuff to make money."

        Understandable, I used to believe in the tooth fairy.

        1. Thorne

          "Understandable, I used to believe in the tooth fairy."

          What??? The tooth fairy isn't real?

  7. Drakkenson
    Pirate

    It must not be long now before we see some country invaded over copyright infringement of mass destruction...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Oh dear...More "corporate" shit speak.

    "Kablekar allegedly used hacking techniques to defeat copyright protection measures on software titles before creating counterfeit CDs"

    In other words he used astalavista, gamecopyworld and numerous other crack sites.

    I'll wager he did no coding himself at all.....

    Dear America. FUCK OFF

  9. Axe
    Devil

    I for one

    Welcome our new (do I mean existing?) American overlords........

    Dear America. FUCK OFF

  10. wowfood

    *Slam face into desk... repeat*

    Be careful guys, if we keep voicing our opinions like this they'll start having us extradited for inciting terrorism. They'll find a link somehow.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    US extradition.

    Just to counter some of the the Anti America 'wing nut' extradition conspiracy theorists on here, take a look at the case of 'Fast Eddie. Wanted here for questioning since 1993, arrested by FBI in February, and returned in the last couple of days. Details below:

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4422328.ece

    Makes our reticence to cough up a few hackers quite embarrassing.

    1. Thomas 18

      Re: US extradition.

      If we want to extradite people we have to provide evidence, the Americans don't.

      The crime 'Eddie' committed happened on UK soil, targeted a UK company and was perpetrated by a UK citizen.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Mushroom

        Re: US extradition.

        @Thomas 18, That is laughably just not true!

        If you look at the opinion of the High Court here, or indeed Jack of Kent's summary, the Americans have to provide evidence to the UK of an equivalent level to the evidence we are required to affect an extradition from the US. This is with the treaty revisions.

        The extradition treaty was in fact revised to make the level of evidence equivalent. The previous arrangement allowed extradition from the US to UK on the basis of the now equivalent lower level of evidence. But in either direction US to UK, or UK to US, there is still a requirement for evidence of probable cause/reasonable suspicion.

        1. Thomas 18
          Thumb Down

          @Titus

          March 30th 2012

          [...] the Home Affairs Committee makes three recommendations, all of which are aimed at remedying perceived imbalances in the treaty:

          1. US prosecutors should be required to establish "probable cause" of the alleged offence in a UK court, which is the same information threshold that UK extradition requests must satisfy in the US.

          2. US prosecutors should be required to present an evidential case against defendants so that the evidence can be tested in a UK court.

          3. The proposed "forum" bar should be introduced into the Extradition Act 2003, which would allow the decision about whether a matter should be prosecuted in the US or the UK to be taken by a judge in open court after listening to the defendant's representations.

          http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/blog-post/2165114/special-relationship-overhauling-unbalanced-uk-extradition-treaty

          References, or it didn't happen

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Happy

            Re: @Titus

            @Thoms 18

            How about providing some references as to how the Americans can get a person extradited without any evidence? Given that this was probably the most comical piece of 'wing nut' anti US extradition conspiracy theory I have seen posted.

            1. Deadlock Victim

              Re: @Titus

              Better yet, why not not ditch all of the conspiracy theories and just back out of the treaties that allow the US to do this sort of thing?

            2. Thorne

              Re: @Titus

              "How about providing some references as to how the Americans can get a person extradited without any evidence? Given that this was probably the most comical piece of 'wing nut' anti US extradition conspiracy theory I have seen posted."

              I don't know. No proof isn't stopping them from trying to extradite Kim Dot Com. He asked for the evidence for his case and was told he can see it after he's extradited. Warrants were all illegal as was the seizing of his assets but none of that is stopping the US.

              Extradition needs to be sorted out. If I commit a crime on US soil and flee back home, I should be extradited. If I have never set foot on US soil, I should not. The US companies and/or government should come to my country and sue me under my countries laws, not drag me back to the US to face their laws.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Thumb Down

                Re: @Titus

                @Deadlock victim

                > Better yet, why not not ditch all of the conspiracy theories and just back out of the treaties that allow the US to do this sort of thing?

                So how would you deal with Fast Eddie above, who the UK Police have wanted to question regarding removing a large sum of cash from a van sometime in 1993?

                @Thorne

                > .... No proof isn't stopping them from trying to extradite Kim Dot Com..........

                Whilst 'no proof' may not be stopping the US from trying to extradite Kim Dot Com, it may well be stopping them from succeeding in that extradition attempt. In fact looking at the more recent news stories it isn't so much the lack of evidence as the way the evidence was obtained.

            3. mhenriday
              FAIL

              Ah, Titus ; you didn't quite notice

              that on the Legalweek webpage to which Thomas 18 so kindly provided a link, examples are indeed provided as to why the extradition treaty presently obtaining between the US and the UK needs to be revised, now did you ? But of course, reading comprehension skills which are adequate to perusing the Sun may find Legalweek hard going....

              Henri

              1. This post has been deleted by its author

              2. Anonymous Coward
                FAIL

                @Henri

                Oh this being the same Thomas 18 who also came out with the farcical statement that the 'US didn't need to provide evidence for an extradition' ? Still waiting for 'proof' of that one.

                Just as Thomas has found a link suggesting that the US/UK extradition treaty is unbalanced, if you have a little look beyond your own prejudiced opinions you will find plenty that suggest otherwise. In summary it would appear that the treaty was unbalanced from about 2003 until it was ratified in 2006 by the US senate. Much has then been made of the US phrase 'probable cause' against the UK phrase ''reasonable suspicion' this being the level of evidence required to arrest a person in the respective countries.

                BTW you could start with - http://jackofkent.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/skeptic-looks-at-mckinnon-case-part_13.html

                Finally, Henri, I interpret the fact that you resort to cheap personal attack as evidence of the weakness of your own arguments.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Not SUNny over here ;)

      This domain is blocked. Sorry, www.thesun.co.uk has been blocked by the Internet Police. Probably a good thing too. Now, get back to work.

      This site was categorized in: News/Media, Lingerie/Bikini, Nudity

  12. kain preacher

    Reality check

    They did not say the US was going to do any thing yet. Some times other countries do consult the FBI, that does not mean they are ceding control. Oh by the way it was the FBI handing over information to the Indian government that got him nailed. So if the feds wanted him they would of did some thing by now

  13. LordHighFixer
    Coat

    They would Never extradite a reg reader.

    However they have implanted a microchip in your brain. Now sit back and keep making the comments to inspire FUD. It will keep everyone else distracted while they complete their real mission.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'd have thought the request would have come from a Californian court.

  15. Suricou Raven

    Piracy or counterfeiting?

    I don't trust the source to make any distinction, but to the still-evolving 'internet morality' it's very important. If he was just burning discs and labeling them with a marker pen for low price, that is piracy and not really objectionable, but if he was doing them with labels, boxes and manuals to pass them off as a genuine product with support from the vendor than that would be fraud and the internet will give him no sympathy.

  16. jonfr
    Alert

    Jurisdiction

    I think FBI is way out of it's jurisdiction now. As this is not part of Int. laws to allow FBI run investigations in other countries.

  17. Uplink

    Visit the US

    So this is how they go around H1-B limitations these days? Or do they just want to get more people to visit the US, even if the US taxpayer will have to foot the bill?

    Either way, I'm massaging my goatee right now... Do you think they'll pay for the trip back as well? And is their detention centre anywhere near popular US attractions, like, say, Hollywood or the Statue of what was that thing again? Liberty? And do they give you an allowance for the duration?

  18. Uplink

    So many saints in India

    Of all of India, they found ONE guy only? That must have taken a lot of FBI time... India is full of saints who never download American IP and print it on DVDs for resale, right?

    (separate post because of separate point to make)

  19. Invidious Aardvark
    Headmaster

    "Indian software pirating suspect faces US extradition", thunders the headline.

    "It's unclear if US authorities will seek Kablekar's extradition...', says the story.

    Do try to have some sort of internal consistency in your articles chaps!

  20. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Microsoft Free Software.....

    I have a stack of legitimate system disks that came with my systems...

    I'd be happy to give them away... pieces of shit that they are....

    40 million annual updates, 2 or 3 anti-malware suites, endless defragging that does Sweet Fuck All with the NTFS filing system, endless scanning, malware in abundance, absolutely shitty software suites, dirty deals with PC vendors and of course the endless cash cow upgrade cycles....

    The guy should not be nailed for counterfeiting Microsofts "malware" - he should be nailed for distributing malware.

    Fuck I would not even accept a FREE set of MS disks, fresh from the factory, much less even use it....

    "Ahhhhhhh Microsoft - Run Away, Run Away"

    Thank fuck for LINUX.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Microsoft Free Software.....

      Rants like this bring Linux into disrepute. Don't you see that? Or are you paid by Apple, Microsoft to foster the myth that Linux user equates to unbalanced?

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ethical what ?

    There is no such thing as an 'Ethical Hacker'

    The man's just doing business. Stop picking up on low profile criminals to set examples.

    Nobody is coming from US to nab bankers who fraud in millions ! Nobody from India is questioning CIA about intrusion into our home computers.

    Go catch them first. Extradite them! US is a baby with a big small intestine.

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