The judge is not pleased, and he wants to know what you’ve got to say for yourself.
You’re not really sure - you can’t believe you’re in court to defend yourself on charges
of...singing happy birthday?
But that’s just one of many laws people around the world break every day!
Who hasn’t done it? You’re walking along, checking your cell phone - and it asks you if
you want to connect to wifi. All the data you’re eating up looking at cat pictures isn’t cheap,
so you might as well hop on your neighbor’s private wifi account. Well, that’s illegal - and
in many jurisdictions is considered unauthorized access to a computer system,
which can carry hefty fines. The odds of someone being prosecuted for it are slim unless they do
it all day, every day. Just make sure you don’t accidentally connect to the FBI’s wifi account.
Even having a party in the wrong place can mean trouble.
You’d be surprised by how many iconic songs are copyrighted - and the people
behind them want their money every time they’re performed. That doesn’t just mean at a concert,
it means every time someone sings them in public. That means if you get the urge to tell your date
that you’re never going to give them up, never going to let them down, you might want to hold it.
And covered under those copyright laws? The classic “Happy Birthday to You” song! It’s
owned by Warner/Chappell Music until 2030, and they want $700 every time it’s performed.
This next one can happen to the best of us.
You’re in a hurry, so you head to the self-checkout at the grocery instead of
the cashier where an old man is telling the clerk about his glandular problem. You scan things in a
hurry - and it’s not until you head out the door that you realize that you didn’t scan one can of
cat food. Hopefully, those ten security guards charging at you are understanding! Self-checkout
shoplifting is one of the fastest-growing categories of theft at places like Walmart
and Target, and many culprits are rushing or don’t know that the machine is glitching.
This next one might shock you - lying on the internet?
Most kids have done this at some point. That really cool site says you have to be a certain age
to join...but who’s actually checking? Well, maybe the government. The Children’s Online Privacy Act
states that no child under thirteen years old can sign up for online services, but the odds
are many kids have broken that law repeatedly. Is anyone going to get arrested for this? Not likely,
but it could get the site in trouble if enough kids are breaking the law on their property,
and the odds are mom and dad won’t be too happy if they find out.
And no matter their age, people break the law on the internet in one big way.
Giving your real name on the internet? Many people think that’s crazy. After all,
no one can find out where “Noobcrusher16” works or goes to school and try to get him into trouble
for trolling people on Twitter. But depending on what you’re doing, giving a fake name on
the internet could be serious business. Giving false information to the public to gain access
to a site inappropriately is a serious crime. If you actually manage to get access to somewhere you
shouldn’t be with a fake name and get found out, it can actually be considered hacking.
What you do in the privacy of your own home is usually
your business - unless the government comes along.
Only a few states allow gambling off Native reservations and those that do strictly regulate
it. That means no big Vegas-style casinos - but it also regulates much smaller forms of
gambling. Want to place a bet with your best friend over the outcome of a football game?
It’s okay - as long as you’re betting for who has to wear a funny hat for
a week instead of for money. And that Friday night Poker game for you and your
buddies? Bad news - it’s technically illegal organized gambling. The odds are no one will
find out - unless that one guy who keeps losing decides to drop a dime to the cops.
At least staying home and streaming is safe...right?
Netflix is probably safe, but be careful where you’re streaming from. There are all
sorts of shady sites out there offering free downloads of popular TV and movies,
and not only do many of them carry viruses but downloading copyrighted material is illegal.
Many Americans have gotten copyright infringement notices from authorities,
fining them for illegally downloading movies. But what about all those sites
that let you stream illegal content in your browser? Watching the content might not be
illegal - yet - but the sites that put it up are frequently raided and shut down.
But what about when it’s your account?
This one is hotly contested - can you share your own Netflix account? No one
is stopping you from having a watch party with your friends to make sure no one can spoil the
latest season of Stranger Things after seeing it first. But if it comes to sharing passwords,
the federal government has classified it as an act of computer fraud.
While no one has been prosecuted yet simply for sharing their password,
it could happen at any time - and the streaming services can terminate your account for abuse.
Even fashion can get you into trouble.
Uncle Billy is a patriot and wants everyone to know it. That’s why he wears an American flag hat,
an American Flag T-shirt, and even American Flag boxers. But the US government doesn’t
think he’s being patriotic - they think he’s breaking the US flag code. The American flag
is prohibited from being used as a pattern for clothing, decorations, or advertising,
and how the actual flag is used and disposed of is strictly regulated. While this law is rarely
enforced against citizens, it’s something that people should watch out for - because an angry
officer could easily slap it on as an extra charge after Uncle Billy’s latest drunk-and-disorderly.
And be careful that American flag isn’t hanging in the wrong place.
It seems like a harmless way to decorate your car - a mini flag, or a pair of novelty dice,
or an “I Love Cats” sign hanging from your rearview mirror. But if it’s hanging a
little too low, you might find yourself getting pulled over for a hefty ticket.
If your decorations are obstructing your view while driving even a little, it’s against the
law. Some officers will be understanding and tell you to take it down before letting you drive
away - especially if they love cats too - but this is one of the most common causes for tickets.
Of course, everyone is guilty of this next crime.
Most drivers have been there. The road is clear, you’re running late, and you step on the gas.
You get just above the speed limit - and a cop car comes zooming out of nowhere to give you
a speeding ticket. You can complain that this was a speed trap, you can say you have a clean
driving record, but the odds are it’s not going to get you out of that ticket. The speed limits
vary around the country, but the authorities take them seriously to enforce public safety.
And the fact that tickets are a huge money-raiser for the town is probably just a coincidence.
And even being a pedestrian can get you in trouble.
Most people think of it as a running joke - jaywalking. Surely crossing the street isn’t
an actual crime? But in most places, it’s an infraction that can get you a fine or even
get you arrested if you have an active warrant or cause an accident when cars swerve to avoid you.
Most famously, a mother in Georgia was charged with the death of her son
after she jaywalked with him and he was hit by a car, although the conviction was later overturned.
For most cases, though, jaywalking tickets are only common when there’s a fundraising shortfall.
Some weird laws are more local - but no less strange.
Is there anything more romantic than a candlelit dinner? If you’re a college student in New York
looking to impress your sweetheart, you may want to stick to a restaurant.
According to the New York fire code, lighting a candle in a dormitory or Greek house is illegal.
It might seem oddly specific, but there have been a number of tragic fires in college facilities
because students got careless. So the law says better safe than sorry,
and Frat house romantics should probably stick to light bulbs.
Some regulations make a little less sense.
Alabama takes their Sundays seriously. Many people there are very religious, and they spend most of
the day in Church. And they have friends in the state government who are enforcing a day
of rest - whether you like it or not. A lot of fun activities like card games, NASCAR, hunting,
and even board games are banned in Alabama on Sunday, which mostly affects big gatherings.
But participating in games at home is also technically illegal, which means you probably
shouldn’t play Monopoly - the only game that makes people angry enough to call the cops.
Heading across the pond, you’d be surprised what could get you nicked by the Coppers.
It’s good clean fun - for the kids at least. Whether you call it ding-dong-ditch or something
else, it’s a common prank where kids knock on a door or ring the doorbell and then run before
anyone can answer. Annoying, especially if the homeowner was in the shower. But in Britain,
it’s against the law per Metropolitan Police Act 1839. It’s considered
wilfully and wantonly disturbing any inhabitant without a lawful excuse,
and it can cost a prankster upwards of five hundred pounds if they get caught.
And it’s not the only child’s game that can cause trouble with the law.
Is there any more fun snow day activity than sliding on the snow and ice? Sure,
your mother is probably hollering that you’re going to get killed,
but you only live once! Well, the government agrees with your mom,
to the tune of a five-hundred-pound fine. The Metropolitan Police Act of 1989 makes it illegal
to make or use a slide upon ice or snow in the street because it could create a common danger
to the people using the street to, you know, get to work. Fine, the grown-ups win again.
This next one is just kind of sad.
In 2015, Frank Blades laid his beloved wife to rest and then lingered by her gravesite after
the funeral. His reward? A ticket for a hundred and sixty pounds! He and anyone who heard about
it were pretty outraged - how can you punish a grieving widower for spending some time hanging
around the graveyard? It might seem heartless, but the UK has a reason for this - it was
intended to allow gravediggers to work without having to worry about people being in the way.
Still, whoever passed that law should watch out for a haunting.
Sometimes, it pays to be careful.
You’re in a rush to put a stamp on your letter and get it in the mailbox, and you accidentally
put the stamp on upside-down. You hate to waste the money, so it’ll be okay - right?
Not in Britain. An upside-down stamp is connected with an attempt to get rid of the King or Queen
in Britain, according to the Treason Felony Act of 1848. That’s right, treason - it’s not just a
minor crime, but one that could get you imprisoned or worse. Originally, the punishment was exile
for life, but nowadays the law is just a strange quirk of the past. Still, better not to test it.
As for this next one, keep your temper.
Drivers everywhere know this pain - you’re trying to get through a yellow light, a little old lady
in the other lane slides in front of you - and then she stops at the yellow light with
you behind her! So naturally, you lay on the horn while you wait for the light to turn green again.
Wait, why is a policeman coming over? Because in Britain, sounding a horn aggressively can get you
a fine of fifty pounds - or more, if you contest it in court. It’s legal to sound the horn to
warn a pedestrian or driver acting dangerously, but only if it’s before 11:30 PM or after 7 AM.
And this one may just seem silly.
There’s nothing like a traditional British pub crawl, but be careful you can hold your
liquor. According to the Metropolitan Act of 1839, it’s illegal to be drunk in a pub
in Britain! Public intoxication carries a fine of up to two hundred pounds,
and the risk falls on the pub owner as well. The keeper of a public house is not allowed to permit
drunkenness on the premises, and as of 2003, it’s illegal to sell drinks to someone who’s
already clearly intoxicated. No wonder Andy Capp kept getting thrown out of Jack’s pub.
For more on strange laws, check out “Insane Laws that Still Exist in USA”,
or watch this video instead.