AfterDawn: Tech news

New bill proposes jail for P2P swappers

Written by Jari Ketola @ 13 Nov 2003 2:41 User comments (17)

New bill proposes jail for P2P swappers A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate today would send P2P pirates, who swap movie and music files ahead of release date, to jail for up to five years. The bill was sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and John Cornyn (R-Texas).
The bill is aimed at stopping distribution of pirated copies of movies and CDs, before the movie has opened in theatres or the CD hit the store shelves. By turning the offences to felonies with five-year maximun sentence for first time offenders, the supporters of the bill hope to make people think more than twice, before they share such material. In addition to the jail sentence, offenders would, of course, have to pay for damages as well.

Source:
AVN Online

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17 user comments

113.11.2003 17:29
tinfoil
Inactive

This bill (Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act) is actually an extension of the 1997 NET (No Electronic Theft) Act. The 1997 bill stipulates a max 3 year jail term for over $2,500 in copyright violations plus a $2,500 fine. Something else people should worry about is what a Cornyn aid said: ""help law enforcement pursue those who are already violating the law by establishing, by presumption, that if someone willfully puts out a pre-release file you have reached the economic harm threshold, which is standard under the NET Act," Let's look closer. "...This legislation simply makes it presumptive..." or in something other than doublespeak "...This removes that pesky innocent until proven guilty thing..." Frightening.

213.11.2003 17:30
tinfoil
Inactive

Also of note, Sen Hatch is backing this bill, so you know it has to be bad and violates a handfull of constitutional rights.

313.11.2003 21:13
ArvoPahvi
Inactive

From Texas and California. Oh yeah. How much those senators have received money from movie industry during last six months?

413.11.2003 21:42
QUAKEDS
Inactive

They just seem to be so upset with technology is no even funny but they love to collect all that money using the same technology and abusing the people rigths that is there job to protect'''''' just wait,, is coming to the 50 states, the more that the get,,,,,,, the more that the want/// Do you know how much money a senate makes //??? jeje,,,, the 2,500 fine is ten minutes of there work, jeje again poor Senates jeje lets send them a thank for a job well done ,,,,,,,,

514.11.2003 02:48
tinfoil
Inactive

Coming to 50 states Quakeds? We should be so lucky. I knew during the Napster case that there would be worldwide implications and now there are. FTAA, WIPO, IFPI.. all of this stuff should concern not only Americans, but Canucks like me, and virtually everyone in the world. Look at Australia or some of the members of the EU.

614.11.2003 03:49
ArvoPahvi
Inactive

True, implementations of european EUCD can be at least or more dangerous than DMCA. IFPI and all other dark forces..

714.11.2003 07:27

Slow down people and read that again... Here is the magic line before the movie has opened in theatres I bet not a single one of us would do that much less have the resources to even try.

814.11.2003 08:27
tinfoil
Inactive

Johnin, who would have forseen that the DMCA would be used against a company that made clone garage door opener remotes? It's happened.

914.11.2003 08:47

Now that I didn't know....

1014.11.2003 19:39

umm I know we dont want this but why dont they just push this further and make it where not only b4 but ever

1115.11.2003 05:15
tinfoil
Inactive
1215.11.2003 06:24

Thanks tin that was a eye opener..

1317.11.2003 09:30

Yes garage door openers indeed. This is why the DMCA must be destroyed. How come you the public did not see this comming? I sure did. I figured that first it would be the universal remote and after that the garage door opener, after that CD players and Mp3 players. Everyone will be fighting about the so called Intellectual property. Here is a clue if you don't want someone to improve or change something you invent, then screw it and don't invent. After all someone else will and they will be happy with the money they earn from it. Software makers and device makers will be scared to come up with new ideas for fear of lawsuits caused by the DMCA. It is a tool to dominate all of electronic technology. Voodoohippie

1417.11.2003 10:01

I don't see why it wouldn't cover universal remotes now... It's the same thing.

1517.11.2003 13:41
tinfoil
Inactive

They attempted the DMCA ploy because Skylink (?) reverse engineered / overrode what the plaintiffs felt was a copyrighted security scheme, which is covered under the DMCA in its oh so vague language.

1617.11.2003 17:54

OK then what about a universal remote control? That is digital right? And if you want to get technical what about a simple thing as a calculator or a speak and spell? Now you know what this is heading towards. People are going to start suing each other for violating the DMCA and it will clog up the justice system with stupid suits and the real criminals will walk the streets freely. The DMCA must go and it must go asap. Voodoohippie

1720.11.2003 12:36
signal
Inactive

nothing new here, remember the warning signs on your videos about piracy, well this new bill is just an extension on the law.

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