Justice Dept. pushes stiffer antipiracy laws
We've always known that the entertainment cartel has a "special place" in the hearts of American legislators. And now, it looks like their already "special place" in US jurisprudence is becoming more "special" by the minute.
So what is "attempting to infringe a copyright?" Does this mean if you mistype your password 3x to iTunes, you will go to jail? Why don't we have a reciprocal law against "attempting to curtail Fair Use Rights?" Sony's Board of Directors and a lot more of our entertainment big wigs would be sharing cells.
And, of course, this lovely Attorney General has tied piracy to terrorism. Next thing you know, 12 year olds and old grannies who are accused of downloading songs will be declared "enemy combatants" and put in jail without being charged or given an attorney.
If you think that's far fetched, that's what I thought when the SBA announced they were going to be showing up at businesses with the police to go through computers to find pirated software. Next shock was the criminal penalties for "cybersquatting." Now this. One might think that the Justice Dept. has nothing better to do, like preventing violent crime perhaps?
Justice Dept. pushes stiffer antipiracy laws | CNET News.com:
WASHINGTON--The Bush administration announced on Thursday that it is lobbying for new laws that would bump up criminal penalties for pirates, expand criminal prosecutors' powers and punish anyone who "attempts" to infringe a copyright.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, speaking at an antipiracy summit here hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the Department of Justice recently submitted to Congress a "legislative package" aimed at toughening up intellectual-property enforcement amid evolving technology.
>According to the proposal (click for PDF) being circulated by the department, the measure would create a new crime called "attempting to infringe a copyright" and subject it to the same penalties as more serious infringement offenses.
The proposal would also permit authorities to seize and destroy pirated and counterfeit goods--with a special nod to music, movies and digitally obtained materials. Also on that list are any goods used to produce pirated or counterfeit material, as well as property obtained with proceeds from the sale of pirated or counterfeit material.