New bill to ruin fair use of copyright
Alberto "I-don't-recall" Gonzales has announced a new bill that would make a crime of "attempted" copyright infringement. Of the many things that the bill does is to extend the penalties of the already controversial DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). The bill is severely one-sided in favor of the recording industry and motion picture industry. It does nothing to protect fair use, which is the one thing that consumers should get out of these laws.
It is fairly obvious that the bill is partially intended to make wiretaps and warrants easier to get. "Attempted copyright infringement" is wide-open to abuse. For all anyone knows, "attempted" could mean anything, even the possession of LimeWire with no other files. I want to see this shot down quickly, as it would ruin fair use, and criminalize almost everyone.
It is fairly obvious that the bill is partially intended to make wiretaps and warrants easier to get. "Attempted copyright infringement" is wide-open to abuse. For all anyone knows, "attempted" could mean anything, even the possession of LimeWire with no other files. I want to see this shot down quickly, as it would ruin fair use, and criminalize almost everyone.
