Thursday, November 18, 2004

Orwellian new Copyright Bill HR2391 would criminalize skipping commercials, destroy Fair Use

The United States Senate is about to pass a new copyright bill that would turn everyday Americans into criminals. This report is not a joke: it's about HR2391, the intellectual property protection act. Keep reading to learn how your consumer rights are under intense attack, and then forward this to your friends to help spread the word. Because if this bill isn't stopped, you could technically be thrown in prison for burning an audio CD and copying the files to your favorite MP3 player.
See also: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65704,00.html
The bill lumps together several pending copyright bills including HR4077, the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act, which would criminally punish a person who "infringes a copyright by ... offering for distribution to the public by electronic means, with reckless disregard of the risk of further infringement." Critics charge the vague language could apply to a person who uses the popular Apple iTunes music-sharing application.
The bill would also permit people to use technology to skip objectionable content -- like a gory or sexually explicit scene -- in films, a right that consumers already have. However, under the proposed language, viewers would not be allowed to use software or devices to skip commericals or promotional announcements "that would otherwise be performed or displayed before, during or after the performance of the motion picture," like the previews on a DVD. The proposed law also includes language from the Pirate Act (S2237), which would permit the Justice Department to file civil lawsuits against alleged copyright infringers.

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