U.S. senators have floated a bill boosting copyright and trademark protection, legislation that would allow the attorney general to prosecute civil cases of infringement and one that allows for the forfeiture of hardware used to infringe.
OK. That’s the jive newspaper description of crap legislation.
Most important, the measure, like the House version, creates an executive-level Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, which would require Senate confirmation. The executive and its office would be charged with creating a nationwide plan to combat piracy and “report directly to the president and Congress regarding domestic international intellectual property enforcement programs.”
The bill encourages federal-state anti-piracy task forces, the training of other countries about IP enforcement and, among other things, institutes an FBI piracy unit…
Someone send me a penny postcard when our elected hacks begin to care as much for individual rights, Fair Use, the opportunity for ordinary folks to use recorded material they bought – as they do for corporate commercial barons.
It’s OK, they will the first up against the wall when the revolution comes. For now America has the best legislature money CAN buy.
complete madness..
the language in the bill states that infringing items or other property be destroyed or otherwise disposed of..they going to attempt to treat pirated goods and the equipment (computers etc) used to create/propagate them like drugs to be destroyed..
i can see it now..imagine the video of the headline news:
“pirate gaming ring busted today, -teens watched in horror as videotape was played of their souped up bootlegging pc’s burning in a heap at an undisclosed location at the trial..they faced stiff fines and the mandatory 10 years in a federal prison.”
absurd? yes. -but so is the fiasco they are making piracy©right laws into.
i can see the private prison industry (and the pervs on the inside) drooling over the prospects of a new never ending influx of geeky virgins flooding the prison system..
they are getting way out of hand w/this stuff..
btw, ars technica does a far better job of reporting the bill here:
http://tinyurl.com/69x9vj
the powers that be have been chomping
at the bit looking for an easy way to stifle the net in a big way.. i’d say this bill kicks off the wrecking ball rather nicely.. the potential for abuse with this bill is endless if it passes ::sigh::
-s
“Someone send me a penny postcard when our elected hacks begin to care as much for individual rights,”
I call B.S. on this story. This couldn’t happen with the “People’s Party” in power. It must be some kind of mistake or, a fiendishly clever plan by the Dems to help the lower & middle classes. Patrick Leahy would never back a corp. power play like this…
3,
Bla bla bla
Your Democrats at work. Hope you like it.
Another word from the equally ignorant #5,
Bla, bla, bla
I am sure the War on Piracy will be as successful as “The Empire’s” other multi-billion dollar campaigns, the War on Drugs and the War on Terror. Soon to be joined by the War on Freedom.
This country was founded on revolution against oppressive government. Time for a reboot.
USA 2.0 is coming…….
>individual rights, Fair Use, the opportunity for ordinary folks to use recorded material they bought
Yeah, that’s what it is when you download a movie off the internet.
#4 and #6 you smug little liberals make me laugh. If this was the result of a Republican controlled Congress, you would be crying foul at the top of your lungs, but since its from your like you bla, bla, bla anyone who point that out. Hypocrites!
#9 – Yes, bla, bla, bla is the best justification they could come up with. I take it that #4 & #6 agree with this Dem sponsored legislation…
@Paddy-O & Gquaglia
If what you are saying is that there is not a dimes worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to corporate welfare, Constitutional degradation and Federal malfeasance I will have to agree with you.
#9–gq and other brain dead conservatives==so many inartful equations.
A Majority of Democrats equal a Democratic Controlled Congress–as if the Dems did not have a large component of conservatives and it takes 60% or more to actually gain “control” of Congress to stop filibusters and more to override a veto.why are you linking the notion of “liberal” with democrats?
The “liberal” thread DOES cry foul regarding this pro-RIAA legislation.
Like zombies attacking the local mall, there are too many of you brain dead conservatives interfering with sound social policy.
Mike==how draconian should the laws against illegal downloading be? $5000 per song isn’t enough? Raising penalties against illegal activities says nothing about what this thread started with====what about “fair use?” RIAA tries to restrict that all the time too. Do you have to be a knee-jerk Bushie on every issue?
#11 “If what you are saying is that there is not a dimes worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to corporate welfare,”
I don’t know. Corp tax revenue into the U.S. Treasury has gone up during the Bush admin (during a declining economy supposedly) so on balance, I don’t know about corp “welfare”.
It doesn’t matter who sponsored it. The fact of the matter is, is that if it is signed into law, neither McBush nor Curious George will do a single thing to repeal it.
@Paddy-O
I don’t know about corp “welfare”.
Of course you don’t. Google: privatize profit socialize loss
bobbo, it was the poster who wrote fair use. All the illegal downloaders like to come up with various excuses like this to preserve their illegal options. ‘What about if I want to create a copy in case my original DVD breaks’, ‘I can put this software on my laptop as well as my desktop so I should be able to get a hacked version’
#11, There isn’t a dimes worth of difference between the two parties overall either.
#14
…and neither will
CaesarObama.bobbo, while you’re right that there isn’t an outright liberal majority, still in the House nothing passes without approval from the leadership. They don’t have to schedule votes on bills. This is how we got stuck with a 55mph speed limit for twenty years. The votes were there to overturn it, but no vote was ever held.
#16–Mike==how draconian should the laws against illegal downloading be? $5000 per song isn’t enough? Raising penalties against illegal activities says nothing about what this thread started with====what about “fair use?” RIAA tries to restrict that all the time too. Do you have to be a knee-jerk Bushie on every issue?
#19–Mike==try to imagine what point you are trying to make and repost it relevant to anything said in this thread?
For instance, although this may or may not reflect your “thinking,” you could post: “Paddy, you are wrong to characterize the Democratic Party as “Liberal” when the legislative activity you are complaining about is really the actions of the House Leadership. While its true they are both Dems at this time, surely you agree both parties are so corrupt at this time that to call them “liberal” is actually insulting to the intellectualism and honesty such term used to invoke.”
Sumthin like dat?
#18, Curious George = Obama. Ever looked at those ears?
They can make all the rules they want. It’s a bit late to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
It can only get worse. Don’t say you weren’t warned. The signs are there and they are getting bigger with each passing act of congress.
You wanted the Dems in, only to find they are worse than the Repubs.
Welcome to Amerika. First door on the left, one cross each.
#11, Yes, exactly, all politicians are scum bags as far as I’m concerned.
I would say file sharing a whole movie is almost never fair use.
So the liberal majority of the Democrats in Congress elected a leadership that doesn’t do what the liberals want? What does this say about the liberals that choose not to replace this leadership? A simple majority at anytime can knock out a leader. By your argument, the conservatives in Congress didn’t do anything bad, since they don’t have an outright majority.
Your coin-operated politicians in action.
#28–Mickey==I don’t know who you are responding to if anyone other than the other 2-3 people in your head but any of you may answer this: Why wouldn’t everyone–EVERYONE–in Congress vote to impeach Bush? Liberal/Conservative, Dem/Repub issues==or just sleazy power hungry/sharing corruption?
Can you carry more than one crazy-ass knee jerk trip wire in your arsenal of talking points?
Is it just me, or are they confusing “Intellectual Properties” (IP) with Piracy? The two aren’t related, but everyone assumes (politicians mainly) when you pirate a movie, you’re stealing someone’s IP. It’s not the same, since piracy falls under copyrights, not IP rights.
IP’s are more vauge than copyright policies. An IP can be anything from patents, business plans, some sort of logo, icon or character, or some sort of procedure on how you go about performing a task. IP’s *can* be something you can steal and use your self, but that isn’t piracy.
Copyrights are geared towards media (print, audio, video) and how it’s accessed and used by their customers. Someone’s IP can be contained in copyrighted media, but copyright violations usually involves unauthorized reproductions of media, what is given away or sold to make profit. Which is already illegal under copyright law ANYWAY. IP laws are just redundant and restricting.