It seems to me the file Nazis are using some of that Grokster money ($50 Million) to buy more politicians in the US.
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5944612.htmlAttorney 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 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
So if I place a CD in my computers CD tray and have a file sharing app installed I will fall foul of this new criminal law that permits big business to accuse anyone of "attempting to infringe copyright", talk about a facist state, the "though police" are here folks.
And dont forget to throw this often repeated lie into the equation..
Overall, the changes are necessary because new technology is "encouraging large-scale criminal enterprises to get involved in intellectual-property theft," Gonzales said, adding that proceeds from the illicit businesses are used, "quite frankly, to fund terrorism activities."
Are citizens of the US really hard core terrorists just because congress is taking under the counter cash payments from the recording industry ? I think not.
Luckily the this peice of "own-state sponsored terrorist legislation" will be opposed by free folks everywhere for its blatant attack on ordinary citizens.
http://www.publicknowledge.org/pressroom/releases/pressrelease.2005-11-10.5196055115
“Public Knowledge supports the enforcement of copyright law and the protection of copyright holders' rights. We are concerned that the Justice Department's (DoJ) proposal attempts to enforce copyright law in ways it has never before been enforced. Making the “attempt” at copyright infringement the same as actual infringement puts it in the same category as far more serious criminal offenses.
“The bill would eliminate the requirement that a copyrighted work be registered before the government could pursue a criminal copyright infringement claim. Current copyright law requires a copyrighted work to be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office before an infringement suit can be filed--regardless of whether it is a civil or criminal suit. While this change might increase the Department’s ability to apprehend copyright infringers, it would have an overall negative effect by discouraging copyright registration.
“Since the DoJ has opened the discussion to making changes to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Public Knowledge would support a number of changes to the DMCA. While we welcome the discussion of copyright law and encourage enforcement of copyright protections, we wish the Justice Department had devoted some analysis as well to protecting the fair use rights of consumers, such as reinstating consumer fair use of digital copyrighted works, as proposed by Rep. Rick Boucher in HR 1201.”
Here are some links to the over the top proposals being pushed forward for rubber stamping.
http://static.publicknowledge.org/pdf/20051110-doj-ip-prot-act.pdf http://static.publicknowledge.org/pdf/20051110-doj-ip-prot-analysis.pdf Please make your concerns vocal on this or lose your rights by default