I've discovered a bill that the Dis-Honorable Mr. Hatch and Mr. Leahy are trying to get passed so the MPAA and RIAA can flat out destroy not only individuals but also companies found to make products that encourage file swapping. For Example if this passes and they want to sue Apple for making the IPod it would bankrupt Apple and put them out of business. Microsoft, Winamp, Real and other media companies could also be destroyed since they enable people to make copies of their own cd's.
Please use the link below to find your Senators and ask them to stop this horribly ignorant bill.
Also a couple news stories on it.
Click More to Read the Bill.
Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act of 2004 (Introduced in Senate)
S 2560 IS
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2560
To amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, relating to inducement of copyright infringement, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 22, 2004
Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. FRIST, Mr. DASCHLE, Mr. GRAHAM of South Carolina, and Mrs. BOXER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, relating to inducement of copyright infringement, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act of 2004'.
SEC. 2. INTENTIONAL INDUCEMENT OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.
Section 501 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(g)(1) In this subsection, the term `intentionally induces' means intentionally aids, abets, induces, or procures, and intent may be shown by acts from which a reasonable person would find intent to induce infringement based upon all relevant information about such acts then reasonably available to the actor, including whether the activity relies on infringement for its commercial viability.
`(2) Whoever intentionally induces any violation identified in subsection (a) shall be liable as an infringer.
`(3) Nothing in this subsection shall enlarge or diminish the doctrines of vicarious and contributory liability for copyright infringement or require any court to unjustly withhold or impose any secondary liability for copyright infringement.'.
I am outraged that this bill didn't get more attention outside of C-Span.I think these guys are about as bad as Al Gore and his pseudo-intellectual banter about the internet in one breath and failure in supporting the moratorium on taxing the Internet.That's another reason I voted for Dubya in 2004 and I support him still for his hands off on broadband taxation. What a shame those media darlings' sham hasn't been exposed further! Those movie clowns move jobs globally and want to nail us here on our own soil.
Posted by: Patelli T. Paschal at November 15, 2004 01:57 PMThis bill never got more attention because it isn't a sexy issue like tax reform, military funding, the war or social security reform. Fact is, this is a bill whose effects would have been largely ignored by most people.
Posted by: skywalker at November 15, 2004 10:52 PM