Bill Would Put Internet Song Swappers in Jail

Internet users who allow others to copy songs from their hard drives could face prison time under legislation introduced by two Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday.
The bill is the strongest attempt yet to deter the widespread online song copying that recording companies say has led to a decline in CD sales.

Sponsored by Michigan Rep. John Conyers and California Rep. Howard Berman, the bill would make it easier to slap criminal charges on Internet users who copy music, movies and other copyrighted files over "peer-to-peer" networks.

The recording industry has aggressively pursued Napster, Kazaa and other peer-to-peer networks in court and recently announced it planned to sue individual users as well.

In a series of hearings on Capitol Hill last spring, lawmakers condemned online song swapping and expressed concern the networks could spread computer viruses, create government security risks and allow children access to pornography.

Few online copyright violators have faced criminal charges so far. A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to distributing a digital copy of the movie "The Hulk" in federal court three weeks ago, but the Justice Department has not taken action against Internet users who offer millions of copies of songs each day.

The Conyers-Berman bill would operate under the assumption that each copyrighted work made available through a computer network was copied by others at least 10 times for a total retail value of $2,500. That would bump the activity from a misdemeanor to a felony, carrying a sentence of up to five years in jail.

It would also outlaw the practice of videotaping a movie in the theater, a favorite illicit method of copying movies.

"While existing laws have been useful in stemming this problem, they simply do not go far enough," said Conyers, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

The Recording Industry Association of America praised the bill and said it would help them fight illegal online copying.

One copyright expert said the bill paints online song-swapping with too broad a brush as much of that activity does not rise to a criminal level.

"We don't think it should be the role of the FBI to treat all copyright infringement as criminal," said Mike Godwin, staff counsel at Public Sector, a nonprofit group that frequently disagrees with the RIAA.

A Conyers staffer said the bill had won the backing of many Democrats but Republicans had yet to endorse it.

The staffer said backers hoped to discuss the bill at a hearing on Thursday and combine it next week with another sponsored by Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, who chairs an intellectual-property subcommittee.

"Once we have the opportunity to analyze the bill language we will be able to determine how it affects our fight against piracy," a Smith spokesman said in an e-mail message.

mud-

 

Ouch,

I think a felony is a little extreme for file-sharing.

 

and the Feds should have other things on their mind than stupid downloading!!!

 

I'm not suprised, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Rampant file-sharing has only served to rub the nose of the establishment in the fact that it is easy to violate copyrights on intellectual property in the digital age. This scares the powers that be because:

A) Copyright infringement on a wide scale threatens the CONCEPT of intellectual property.

B) When the concept of intellectual propery is threatened, it threatens the concept of property in general.

C) When the concept of property is threatened, it threatens the foundations of a capitalistic society.

I am reminded of Jack Nicholson's explanation in EASY RIDER that people talk about freedom, but when they are confronted with a free individual they get scared, which makes them dangerous.

When confronted with a social phenomenon (in this case file sharing) that cannot be controlled under the existing legal/social structure, the powers that be come down hard.

Even if this bill is defeated, something like it will pass eventually. I also expect to see more laws controlling the internet in the next few years.

This bill is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Conyers has been a member of Congress since 1964. Berman has been there since 1982. I doubt they will be voted out by some college students who want to steal music.

 

File sharing is way beyond some college students.

 

And like the Titanic....it will sink...I can see it now...Swat teams busting down the doors and crashing through the windows arresting the PC bad guys. One wrong entry and your toast! BIG BROTHER will be watching us...Or, are they already???

 

OF COURSE Big Brother is watching you. If you think Big Brother ISN'T watching you, or that Big Brother does not exist (in spirit if not in fact), then you are sadly mistaken.

 

For some reason, when I saw the title of this thread I thought it was about Bill Wyman.

Just a little insight into the odd way my mind works sometimes!

 

That's very harsh.

"What are you in for, Joe?"

"I killed a man just to watch him die. What are you in for, Pete?"

"I downloaded 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.'"

 

I thought Bill Gates.('')

doug

 

Me too.

 

This is both amusing and appalling at the same time. In a day and age where we have an administration that is running up over $400 billion in defecits, running two wars that have not yielded the capture of the key men and not managing to get the economy in the right direction, you have to wonder why they are devoting their time and energy to something as frivolous as this.

Well, it's no wonder - the RIAA and related interests have pumped vast amounts of dinero into the campaign funds for these politicians and are exacting their pound of flesh in return. Therefore, money better spent combatting crime, poverty or stimulating the economy is spent going after poor shlubs who want to download a song or two.

I have downloaded myself, but I also continue to purchase CDs on a regular basis. Therefore, I am shaking my head at this Orwellian mentality. This will only force downloaders and music software engineers to be more crafty and think of other ways to outwit the record companies and the government. Any such efforts will be applauded on my part.

When the recording industry reimburses me for having to buy remastered CDs that should've been done right the first time and for CDs that were overpriced, maybe then I'll be interested in their side of the story.

 

Last time I checked these Congresscritters were not part of the administration.

mud-

 

Stealing is stealing.

 

ABOUT DAMN TIME!! My one and only statement... Listen to LP's, not MP3's!