At 92, Bandit to Hollywood but Hero to Soldiers

[Skinner]

Normally I believe in respecting copyrights. But this story made my day

At 92, Bandit to Hollywood but Hero to Soldiers

MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. — One of the world’s most prolific bootleggers of Hollywood DVDs loves his morning farina. He has spent eight years churning out hundreds of thousands of copies of “The Hangover,” “Gran Torino” and other first-run movies from his small Long Island apartment to ship overseas.

“Big Hy” — his handle among many loyal customers — would almost certainly be cast as Hollywood Enemy No. 1 but for a few details. He is actually Hyman Strachman, a 92-year-old, 5-foot-5 World War II veteran trying to stay busy after the death of his wife. And he has sent every one of his copied DVDs, almost 4,000 boxes of them to date, free to American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With the United States military presence in those regions dwindling, Big Hy Strachman will live on in many soldiers’ hearts as one of the war’s more shadowy heroes.

“It’s not the right thing to do, but I did it,” Mr. Strachman said, acknowledging that his actions violated copyright law.

More: http://nyti.ms/Kf8BU9

[Mnemosyne]

1. A truly beautiful story. Thanks Skinner! So very glad

Hollywood isn't throwing him in the "hoosegow"!

[Ian David]

2. Would be better if the studios worked with the military to do something like this legally. n/t

[DeSwiss]

3. ....

- K&R

[littlewolf]

5. yeah .... nt

[saras]

6. No. This way didn't give a huge bunch of money to the RIAA and the studios.

The effect on the actual workers who made the film was pretty much nil.

Intellectual property, as a concept, is as stupid as saying that everyone is born owned by someone, and owes a lifetime of work to them.

When people who wash a car acquire a permanent right to a profit from anything done by anyone who USES the washed car, I'll think intellectual property reasonable.

[harmonicon]

4. I think this is respecting copyrights.

The guy's not making a profit, and he's not passing these things off as his work. No one would think twice about copying a poem in a letter to a soldier, or sending them a copy of something from a local paper. The entertainment industry in the US has just become so paranoid, that they will use their clout to bring charges against people doing what would be shrugged of by other industries.

[lame54]

7. He is SOOOO wrong...

it is the right thing to do

[Chorophyll]

8. Lovely. :)

And he's in my hometown, too. Go Massapequa!

[LASlibinSC]

9. Every bit the patriot!

[hunter]

10. What's wrong with this guy?

Halliburton and the movie studios could have delivered the same DVDs to our soldiers for a few hundred, maybe even a few thousand dollars each.

Guys like Hyman Strachman are destroying the U.S. economy.

[pinboy3niner]

11. K&R

[fujiyama]

12. Suck it MPAA!

Let's see Chris Dodd and his cronies still in the Senate like Leahy go after this guy.