Ever attempt to download music or movies? You're going away for a long time.

[SilentLeviathan]

http://www.ipdemocracy.com/archives...ens_copyright_penalties_and_police_powers.php

April 23, 2006

New Bill Toughens Copyright Penalties and Police Powers

CNET’s Declan McCullough has the scoop on a new bill backed by the Bush Administration and about to be introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) that will greatly expand the digital copyright restrictions in the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act). Moreover, the draft legislation, the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006, will also expand federal police wiretapping and enforcement powers.

McCullough says the bill goes to great lengths to expand the punishable acts of copyright infringement. For example, attempted copyright infringement would become a federal crime punishable by up to ten years in prison.

Even worse, the bill would expand section 1201 of the DMCA that bars trafficking in or distributing software capable of bypassing DRM systems to make it a crime to “make, import, export, obtain control of, or possess” such software. The legislation would also permit wiretaps in cases involving copyright infringement, boost the jail time for copyright infringement, create a new unit in the FBI for investigating copyright crimes and, most problematic of all, permit copyright holders to impound “records documenting the manufacture, sale or receipt of items involved in” infringements.

Here's the full CNET article. http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6064016.html

Let me tell you a story, my friend's dad was an OPP officer. He was hit and killed by a drunk driver a few years back while on duty. The man that killed him was convicted of manslaughter and served seven years in jail.

According to the supporters of this law, people attempting to illegally download music are committing a crime worse than that of a drunken cop killer.

Here's another article that discusses how software pirates receive harsher penalities then pedophiles. http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=31256

Now, I recognize that software, music and movie piracy are illegal. Should law enforcement still go after and prosecute these people? Yes. But
this all just seems so over the top.

 

[Bud123]

Can't agree with you more!
Isn't there somewhere else more important, hell ALOT more places, that they should be spending their time and money concentrating on!!!