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Copyright
Stupid, Wasteful and Intrusive: House Dems Introduce Draconian Bill to Punish File Swappers
"Peer-to-peer users who swap copyright files could be in danger of becoming federal felons, under a new proposal backed by Democrats... [It] would punish an Internet user who shares even a single file without permission from a copyright holder with prison terms of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000. Written by Michigan's John Conyers... , the Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security Act (ACCOPS) represents Congress' boldest attempt yet to shutter peer-to-peer networks, which the major record labels and movie studios view as a serious threat... Other sponsors of ACCOPS are Reps. Howard Berman of California, Adam Schiff of California, Marty Meehan of Massachusetts, Robert Wexler of Florida and Anthony Weiner of New York... 'Jailing people for file sharing is not the answer,' said EFF lawyer Fred von Lohmann. 'Proponents of this bill are casting aside privacy, innovation and even our personal liberty as collateral damage in their war against file sharing.'"
"I am writing to urge you to reject the Hollings copy protection bill, also known as the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (CBDTPA). 1) The Hollings bill will restrict my personal use rights. 2) The Hollings bill will inevitably prevent innovation because it is the most sweeping regulation of the information technology sector in its history. The bill will give content companies the ability to veto devices like the VCR and the digital Walkman. 3) The Hollings bill is the wrong approach to solving the problem of piracy. 4) The content companies said that the DMCA would allow them to deliver great broadband content. Yet four years later, the only outcome of the DMCA has been lawsuits against innovative companies and threats against consumers. We have no reason to believe that the Hollings bill will be any different. I urge you to protect my fair use rights by opposing the Hollings bill." Send a free fax to Congress!
19-Jul-03
Copyright
30-Mar-02
Copyright