When you think of people who might pirate video games, there’s a good chance that an image of a 86-year old grandmother does not come to mind. However over in Ontario, Canada, it seems that Christine McMillan, the grandmother in question, received an email claiming that she had pirated a game called Metro 2033, and that she was liable for a fine of CA$5,000.
Speaking to Go Public, McMillan expressed her shock considering she had never heard of the game in her whole life. “I found it quite shocking… I’m 86 years old. No one has access to my computer but me. Why would I download a war game?” She acknowledges that she has an adult grandson, but is insistent that he does not have access to her computer.
While mixups do happen, this incident serves to highlight some of the many criticisms leveled at Canada’s Copyright Modernization Act which was introduced last year. The only reason why McMillan received the letter (assuming she is innocent) is because her IP address was associated with the download, which some experts have argued could have been easily used by someone else living in the same building who had access to her network.
That being said, McMillan is by no means legally obligated to pay the money. Authorities claim that the notices sent out are not considered a legal summons or a formal allegation of wrongdoing, but considering the way they are worded, it does sound like they are trying to scare people into paying the fine without them fully understanding what’s going on.