Returning To Us With Media Downloaded

[jaideeguy]

I'm sending a visiting friend some of my collection of tv shows and vintage movies that I ripped off torrent sites about 200gb.....the same torrent sites that can be accessed from the US and there will be no porn.

Should there be any worries about the copywrite cops or US customs upon return?? wouldn't want my friend to get into trouble.

And if so, any legal ways to get around it?/ The content won't be for commercial purposes.....just home entertainment.

I have in the past traded DVD music rips thru the mail and no problems in either direction.

[Mario2008]

I think officially it would be a breach of intellectual property laws. In practise, they will be more interested in if there is child porn on it or not. Normally that is the reason they will search media like portable hard disks.

[lopburi3]

But why take any chance? That inspector seeing the return from Bangkok, may take a bit of time hoping to find what he expects to find and if no smoking gun found be more likely to look for anything to justify his time? I don't have a clue as have not traveled in years but I would not advise traveling with anything that could result in added suspicion. Air travel seems to have gone from a high society gathering; to a tourist bus; to a suspect fugitive/terrorist mob in the eyes of some officials.

[jaideeguy]

Maybe safer to mail the HD by post??

[geriatrickid]

Don't do it. The hassle isn't worth it.

[OccamsRazor]

Should there be any worries about the copywrite cops or US customs upon return?

If you have a backup at home than you just delete the files, deep delete if you want to be sure, before taking it back to the US.

[londoedan]

Don't do it. The hassle isn't worth it.

I agree.

I have no recent experience with the US but have been stopped twice recently, once going into Singapore with 10 copy DVD's from Indonesia (confiscated and written warning), and flying into Birmingham UK after a long stay in SEAsia, the customs staff went through all of my memory sticks, HDD's and camera.

In both cases, I felt I was completely innocent and acted accordingly, i.e. no DVD porn and no kiddie porn etc.. but it wasn't a pleasant experience .

Simon

[Spoonman]

Should there be any worries about the copywrite cops or US customs upon return?

If you have a backup at home than you just delete the files, deep delete if you want to be sure, before taking it back to the US.

Why would he want to delete the data/media he wants to take ?

[Jingthing]

Another vote for NO WAY!

[WarpSpeed]

Should there be any worries about the copywrite cops or US customs upon return?

If you have a backup at home than you just delete the files, deep delete if you want to be sure, before taking it back to the US.

Why would he want to delete the data/media he wants to take ?

Right, I have my HD to avoid losing my irreplaceable data. I'm going to have to go through an entire violation of my person just to return to my country? That really sucks, I didn't have to do that coming here or when I left the US all post 9/11 within the last decade.. Is there some overreaction here maybe? Can someone who has actually returned post their experience... I have literally hundreds of personal videos and family pictures, doesn't seem reasonable they'd be checking all of those..

I left there with my PC as a carry on and no one made a single mention on either end, now you're suggesting I'll have to endure how long to go through my computer, flash drives and HD after a 29 hour flight with 2 kids? I mean without opening EVERY file there's no reasonable way they can know if any contain contraband. They don't and won't but that really isn't the point is it?

[londoedan]

Should there be any worries about the copywrite cops or US customs upon return?

If you have a backup at home than you just delete the files, deep delete if you want to be sure, before taking it back to the US.

Why would he want to delete the data/media he wants to take ?

Right, I have my HD to avoid losing my irreplaceable data. I'm going to have to go through an entire violation of my person just to return to my country? That really sucks, I didn't have to do that coming here or when I left the US all post 9/11 within the last decade.. Is there some overreaction here maybe? Can someone who has actually returned post their experience... I have literally hundreds of personal videos and family pictures, doesn't seem reasonable they'd be checking all of those..

I left there with my PC as a carry on and no one made a single mention on either end, now you're suggesting I'll have to endure how long to go through my computer, flash drives and HD after a 29 hour flight with 2 kids? I mean without opening EVERY file there's no reasonable way they can know if any contain contraband. They don't and won't but that really isn't the point is it?

I can't comment on what happens in the US, but in the UK, the customs agent did tell me they check single males 'above a certain age' returning from SE Asia. As as you indicate it takes a while - one officer went through the camera memory cards in front of me and the memory sticks and HDD were taken away and presumably scanned in a back office.

If you're returning with yr family then you may not be picked-up by their passenger profiling. I guess its the price some of us have to pay for the authorities picking-up the kiddy fiddlers.

Simon

[Jingthing]

Single male travelers from Thailand back to the US are definitely targeted. That doesn't mean they have time to check every such person. In my case, I used to be hassled but then went through a thorough search once and it was clear and no problem since. So I wonder if their system accounts for people they have already bothered. When they did check me, they knew all about my travel history for the last decade and asked me about it.

[DP25]

I can't comment on what happens in the US, but in the UK, the customs agent did tell me they check single males 'above a certain age' returning from SE Asia.

I've had friends in their early 20s hassled returning to the US and their camera and notebook pictures searched. One actually did have sex pics, of a woman more than 10 years older than him, and the custom guy gave him a very hard time about it, but eventually let him in instead of sending him to prison.

I wouldn't risk taking anything through customs that isn't totally legal.

[Richard4849]

I have only one question: how lucky do you feel?

[yermanee]

I wouldn't risk taking anything through customs that isn't totally legal.

That's the bottom line isn't it.

Yermanee :jap:

[jaideeguy]

It seems to be an overwhelming NO against bringing them by hand.....but what about Thai postal?? No porn......kitty, kiddy or otherwise.

[Jingthing]

For a small fee you can buy lots of google storage and transfer that way through google document transfer (gmail). Use some encryption like PGP. Cheers.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I was back to the US in April and I had 3 2TB hard Drives and an A.C. Ryan HD player in my luggage. Nothing was said. Although I was with my wife and I'm older than dirt so that might make a difference.

[Richard4849]

It seems to be an overwhelming NO against bringing them by hand.....but what about Thai postal?? No porn......kitty, kiddy or otherwise.

Equally dangerous. Customs checks packages as well, you know...

[robblok]

It seems to be an overwhelming NO against bringing them by hand.....but what about Thai postal?? No porn......kitty, kiddy or otherwise.

Just wondering if the police can check your computer for porn (not kiddy) I think most of us have ever looked at it. I know its illegal here.

[jaideeguy]

It seems to be an overwhelming NO against bringing them by hand.....but what about Thai postal?? No porn......kitty, kiddy or otherwise.

Equally dangerous. Customs checks packages as well, you know...

I assume that you mean customs on the US end?? I have heard from the Thai postal clerks that an airmail package takes 2 weeks to the US because of homeland security looking for bombs, anthrax, drugs etc.....but are they on the lookout for copyrited video/non porn??

and, who would get the blame?? the sender or the receiver??

[mark131v]

I never realised that there were so many paranoid people about, I travel to and from BKK every 5 weeks or so and usually pass through London Paris or Amsterdam I always have an HDD and memory sticks as well as a laptop with me. I have been searched on several occasions but have never seen or even heard of peoples HDD and stuff being searched, then again though, I do not often travel to the "land of the Free" but that said I have a lot of colleagues who travel to and from the US carrying similar stuff to me and this has never been mentioned, I think some people on TV need to chill a little. I think Big Brother has better things to look for than a blag copy of series 3 of the Sopranos

[Jingthing]

Not paranoid. Facing reality. Importing pirated media into the US is a serious federal crime. Will all or most get caught? No. Like the other poster said, do you feel lucky?

Also, consider there will likely be a difference in how the officers will view someone entering with a few fake DVDs vs. a large disk filled with hundreds of movies. I sincerely think you could be talking prison time and millions of dollars in fines.

http://betanews.com/2009/08/28/dhs-expect-your-computer-to-be-seized-without-suspicion/

[thaimate]

iN 22 YEARS OF TRAVELLING BETWEEN THAILAND AND BRITAIN I HAVE NEVER ONCE BEEN STOPPED ,I MUST LOOK SO INNOCENT

[Jingthing]

This is about the USA. Americans know what we are talking about. American Homeland Security is HARDCORE! Also, where do you think most of those pirated movies are produced? That's right ... Hollywood USA.

[Spoonman]

iN 22 YEARS OF TRAVELLING BETWEEN THAILAND AND BRITAIN I HAVE NEVER ONCE BEEN STOPPED ,I MUST LOOK SO INNOCENT

If you scream at the customs guys like you just did to us maybe that is the key to getting through.

[thaibeachlovers]

Don't do it. The hassle isn't worth it.

I agree.

I have no recent experience with the US but have been stopped twice recently, once going into Singapore with 10 copy DVD's from Indonesia (confiscated and written warning), and flying into Birmingham UK after a long stay in SEAsia, the customs staff went through all of my memory sticks, HDD's and camera.

In both cases, I felt I was completely innocent and acted accordingly, i.e. no DVD porn and no kiddie porn etc.. but it wasn't a pleasant experience .

Simon

Having also had the same sort of treatment ( at Heathrow ) because I was a single traveller from Thailand, my opinion of the customs people cannot be repeated on the forum lest I be banned.

It's also interesting that they seem to be computer morons, as it is possible to upload anything that one does not want seen to a web site, encrypted so no one else can view it, and merely down load it once reached one's destination.

As porn is actually legal in my home country, I'm thinking of taking a few terabytes of ( legal ) porn back next time and let them wade through that. Should take about 6 months, LOL.

My experience of mailing DVDs/ CDs is that they are never checked ( don't know about the US though ), so i'd just burn everything to CDs and mail it. Provided there's nothing that can't be copied off the tv, there shouldn't be a problem. I sent over 2,000 DVDs, copied from tv, home when I retired from the UK, and there was no problem.

[nocturn]

good lord, if you are worried encrypt the frikkin drive with truecrypt. job done. you can even hide the encrypted portion.

i thought this site was populated by old men, but it seems the old women hold sway.

cant wait until the poster from the other thread comes on here and tells us all that the varous government agencies who keep watch on here already have the op rumbled.

[mark131v]

This is about the USA. Americans know what we are talking about. American Homeland Security is HARDCORE! Also, where do you think most of those pirated movies are produced? That's right ... Hollywood USA.

Which part of the bit about a number of my colleagues (8 on this job!!) being Septics and traveling to and from every 5 weeks did you miss?

[Jingthing]

If they seize your drive, they will find the encrypted portion and if a password is needed and you won't open it, well, you have no choice. They are police. They have guns, they have prisons, and in the area before you get passed customs your freedoms are not protected in the same way as after you enter.