Would this be illegal?

[olds]

Say you mount a video camera in your car then drive down the freeway taking video of commercial vehicles license plates, company names and then video the driver speeding or talking on a cell phone.
Then you offer to sell them the video for $100. If they don't want to buy it then you give it to their employer for free.

 

[pontifex]

Isn't that called blackmail, which I believe is illegal?

 

[olds]

Isn't that called blackmail, which I believe is illegal?

That's what I am thinking but maybe you can offer it as a service of some sort since you didn't entice them into the action.

 

[Adrenaline]

Nice try for a new business venture BUT unfortunately it would still be classified as blackmail.

We will call it OBI:

OBI - Oldsmoboat's Blackmail Inc.

Your new business venture would need a slogan, something like "The Force is Strong in this One" (Bad attempt at humor I guess but it was spur of the moment.)

 

[SunSamurai]

OBI Want your monies.

 

[moshquerade]

recession's hitting olds hard

 

[Regs]

lol.

 

[arcenite]

It's only illegal if you get caught

 

[Blueychan]

ROFL! It's a desperate time...

 

[MotionMan]

That's what I am thinking but maybe you can offer it as a service of some sort since you didn't entice them into the action.

You're thinking of entrapment. Nonetheless, your scheme is blackmail.

Interestingly, just this week, while driving, I thought of a plan to make money based on those "How am I driving?" bumper stickers. Unfortunately, my scheme would be classified as "fraud".

Maybe Olds and I could share a cell?

MotionMan

 

[IronWing]

I came up with the bestest damn business idea in the history of the knowledgesphere yesterday. Set up a Paypal type account system where folks can link bank and CC accounts for money tranfers and overdraft coverage. Then set up a system so that folks can buy lottery tickets by sending simple text messages to their accounts. No matter where I am, no matter what time of day, as long as I have cell coverage, I can haz lottery tickets.

 

[geno]

What if you skip the middle man and offer to sell the tapes to the company for a fee? Would that still be illegal? You're gathering public info and offering the service to them for a price... sure you wouldn't have as much demand as offering it to the employees, but some companies will see it as another form of background check.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Isn't that called blackmail, which I believe is illegal?

Extortion?

 

[MotionMan]

What if you skip the middle man and offer to sell the tapes to the company for a fee? Would that still be illegal? You're gathering public info and offering the service to them for a price... sure you wouldn't have as much demand as offering it to the employees, but some companies will see it as another form of background check.

You will get sued by a fired employee. Guaranteed.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Extortion?

Or that. Forget which is which.

MotionMan

 

[geno]

You will get sued by a fired employee. Guaranteed.

On what grounds? I'm no lawyer, so I'm not really contesting this, but how is it any different than an employee getting fired from something caught on a security camera. Can he / she then sue the company which implemented the security device?

 

[MotionMan]

On what grounds? I'm no lawyer, so I'm not really contesting this, but how is it any different than an employee getting fired from something caught on a security camera. Can he / she then sue the company which implemented the security device?

Yep.

MotionMan

 

[geno]

Yep.

MotionMan

Again, on what grounds? "You shouldn't have caught me while I was doing something stupid or illegal in a public place!"

?

 

[BoomerD]

Nice try for a new business venture BUT unfortunately it would still be classified as blackmail.

We will call it OBI:

OBI - Oldsmoboat's Blackmail Inc.

Your new business venture would need a slogan, something like "The Force is Strong in this One" (Bad attempt at humor I guess but it was spur of the moment.)

OBI Wan..

Oldsmoboat's Blackmail Inc.-We ain't nice.

 

[Muadib]

Extortion?

No, what olds wants to do would be blackmail. It would be extortion if olds got you to do what he proposes, by making a threat to you in some way.

 

[MotionMan]

Again, on what grounds? "You shouldn't have caught me while I was doing something stupid or illegal in a public place!"

?

Are you under the impression that someone has to have grounds to sue you and cost you thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, in legal fees?

If that is your belief, you should come take a look at most of the files in my office.

That being said, I could imagine a complaint with causes of action for invasion of privacy, negligence, interference with prospective economic advantage, fraud... Would they hold up in court? Who knows, but it will cost you a bunch of money to fight it.

MotionMan

 

[Gothgar]

OBI Wan..

Oldsmoboat's Blackmail Inc.-We ain't nice.

:awe:

 

[Evadman]

That's blackmail to the best of my knowledge.

 

[beepandbop]

Actually, if Olds got sued and he had a good lawyer, the lawyer could argue that as long as Olds just offered to sell the tape to the original idiot, and then gave it to the employer, Olds was just a communitarian who was serving his community in the best way.

HOWEVER, if Olds said, "either you get this OR your boss does," that is clearly blackmail/extortion.

 

[Hacp]

Perfectly legal. Go ahead; surely nothing bad will come out of this.