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Congress May Outlaw 'Attempted Piracy'
Posted by
Zonk
on Tue May 15, 2007 10:03 AM
from the i-see-what-you-were-trying-to-do-there dept.
from the i-see-what-you-were-trying-to-do-there dept.
cnet-declan writes "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is asking Congress to make 'attempted' copyright infringement a federal crime. The text of the legislation as well as the official press-release is available online. Rep. Lamar Smith, a key House Republican, said he 'applauds' the idea, and his Democratic counterpart is probably on board too. In addition, the so-called Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007 would create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software in some circumstances, expand the DMCA with civil asset forfeiture, and authorize wiretaps in investigations of Americans who are 'attempting' to infringe copyrights. Does this go too far?"
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Yes. (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, this goes too far.
I promise vehement grass roots activism to defeat any elected official, Republican, Democrat, or Independent, who gets anywhere near voting for this. Full stop.
This will not sneak by in the dead of night. We are watching. You are either against this violent insanity, or you are against the voters.
Re:Yes. (Score:5, Informative)
As far as I can tell, Congress didn't even care to look at, much less vote on it. The only difference this time is that the Attorney General is attempting to submit the law himself to give it more credibility. (It was previously backed by Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R) of Texas.) My hope is that it will end up in the same dustbin as the last attempt.
Parent
Re:Yes. (Score:5, Insightful)
Like Gonzales has any credibility left.
Parent
Re:Yes. (Score:5, Interesting)
FTA:
"Currently certain copyright crimes require someone to commit the "distribution, including by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of at least 10 copies" valued at over $2,500. The [Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007] would insert a new prohibition: actions that were 'intended to consist of' distribution."
So not only are we going to punish thought crime and what big brother thinks you're going to do, but this bill would even require Homeland Security to inform the RIAA and associated companies if one of us imports discs with "unauthorized fixations of the sounds or sounds and images of a live musical performance." Why don't we just reorganize the RIAA as another extension of the federal government? They're practically there anyway, and they'd be able to add an RIAA Piracy tax to our paychecks.
This does not bode well. This does not bode well at all. It would be interesting to see how current presidential candidates handle this proposition, but am I too jaded if I think it will never reach any debate podiums?
Parent
Life in prison? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Life in prison? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Life in prison? (Score:5, Interesting)
That said, I agree that it's absurd that we can even think of locking people up for life for copying bits. There are easier and more humane ways to go about this. For example, probation, being forbidden to own/operate a computer, etc.
You can still be a totally productive member of society without a computer. Being locked up in a cell is hardly productive.
Tom
Parent
This is brilliant! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:This is brilliant! (Score:5, Interesting)
Parent
except (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft is almost certainly already lobbying for laws that will place strong legal burdens and liabilities on open source software, with the intent of making it impossible for any serious business to run open source software.
Parent
Crazy (Score:5, Informative)
Minority Report anyone? (Score:5, Interesting)
Homeland secuirty to be arm of RIAA !!! (Score:5, Interesting)
Sure that is what everyone intended the anti-terrorism money to go to.
Wait, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
" Require Homeland Security to alert the Recording Industry Association of America. That would happen when compact discs with "unauthorized fixations of the sounds or sounds and images of a live musical performance" are attempted to be imported. Neither the Motion Picture Association of America nor the Business Software Alliance (nor any other copyright holder such as photographers, playwrights, or news organizations, for that matter) would qualify for this kind of special treatment."
Since when did Copyright Infringement become an issue for Homeland Security to work directly with a specific corporation?
Why give only the RIAA this treatment? Do they notify Tropicana when off-brand OJ is smuggled in from Mexico?
"probably?" (Score:5, Informative)
Would it be too much to ask that you find out Rep. John Conyer's position - hell, even his name would be an improvement, and perhaps understanding why Rep. Smith is considered "key" (hint: check the committees) - before you start tarring him with the same brush as Rep. Lamar Smith?
-Richard Campbell.
Here is exactly what is wrong with (Score:5, Insightful)
If this is to pass, what immoral act would next be prosecuted? Being gay? Being obese? Being lazy?
This is clearly an admission by those who support it that they are UNABLE to enforce current laws, and even that they are trying to enforce laws that are thought to be bad laws by enough people that they can't possibly get 100% compliance.
What I think is going to happen.... (Score:5, Interesting)
(mp/ri)aa will flood the various file sharing networks with dummy files, aka 'master_of_puppets.mp3' that are actualy null files of a certain size.
Random user tries to download file from *aa over the network.
*aa records IP address of user
*aa submits IP information to DoJ
Random user goes to jail for attempted piracy and *aa also files a civil suit.
PROFIT!
Death to tyrants (Score:5, Insightful)
The only good politician is tortured and dead.
Re:Why does the law punish attempts at all? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Why does the law punish attempts at all? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Better question... (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Why does the law punish attempts at all? (Score:5, Insightful)
And as one person said, attempted crimes are often persecuted, with murder as a clear example. Robbery is another.
I'd laugh if I saw this plea in court:
"Yeah I tried to rob the store, but the cop stopped me! Let me go free, I didn't actually do that"
Parent
Re:Lifetime Crime (Score:5, Interesting)
RTFA
And exactly how is someone going to cause death while committing criminal copyright infringement?
Parent
Re:Lifetime Crime (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Riiight... (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent