# Orrin Hatch: Software Pirate?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orrin-hatch-software-pirate/183160>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 20, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orrin-hatch-software-pirate/183160 "2003-06-20T14:15:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orrin-hatch-software-pirate/183160/1 "2003-06-20T14:15:18Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) suggested Tuesday that people who download copyright materials from the Internet should have their computers automatically destroyed.
> 
> But Hatch himself is using unlicensed software on his official website, which presumably would qualify his computer to be smoked by the system he proposes.
> 
> The senator’s site makes extensive use of a JavaScript menu system developed by Milonic Solutions, a software company based in the United Kingdom. **The copyright-protected code has not been licensed for use on Hatch’s website.**

Source: [Orrin Hatch, Software Pirate? | WIRED](http://wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59305,00.html)

May a plague of locusts descend upon the hypocrite!

😃

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**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orrin-hatch-software-pirate/183160/2 "2003-06-20T15:04:19Z")

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Worse, a plague of “Wired” readers is gonna be emailing him…

I’d almost feel sorry for him, if he didn’t completely and totally deserve it!

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**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orrin-hatch-software-pirate/183160/3 "2003-06-20T15:25:24Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> The senator’s site makes extensive use of a JavaScript menu system developed by Milonic Solutions, a software company based in the United Kingdom.

But stealing stuff off foreigners isn’t theft, it’s American foreign policy.

Besides, I’m quite sure his provision for computer-destruction would only apply to American copyright holders. You can be sure that if a British company threatened to nuke American computers, no matter what the reason, Hatch would be queuing right up to demand the bombing of London.