US Justice Department ready to prosecute file-swappers
08:51 Wednesday 21st August 2002
Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com  


American federal authorities are turning their attention from terrorists to users of peer-to-peer networks, who could be jailed for up to five years
The US Department of Justice is prepared to begin prosecuting peer-to-peer pirates, a top government official said on Tuesday.
[url]http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2121102,00.html[/url]

Some choice excerpts are:

Violations are punishable by one year in prison, or if the value tops $2,500, "not more than five years" in prison.

Christopher Cookson, executive vice president of Warner Bros. and another panelist, said there was "a need for governments to step in and maintain order in society".

Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association, said he was sceptical about the view that peer-to-peer piracy should be a criminal offense. "If we have 70 million people in the United States who are breaking the law, we have a big issue."

Signed by 19 members of Congress, including Senator Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, Representative James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, the letter urged Ashcroft "to prosecute individuals who intentionally allow mass copying from their computer over peer-to-peer networks".

From another article: "copying a CD is illegal"

So what we have is 70 million Americans who democRATS want put in prison. The same democRATS want guns banned and a different 70 million Americans in prison. What is wrong with this picture?

And in case anyone out there is wondering, I have a phone line connection and don't share files peer-to-peer. If it is pop music I won't even listen to it. I do like technology, though.

Biden, Feinstein, et al, are jockeying for a position to justify future govt control of the internet. These people just don't like infettered free-speach

And warlord gets it in one! [pissed]

The standard for copyright infringement for most of the 1900's was to stop mass copying for profit. Little by little, the industry is trying now to stop any copying done by individuals. This is driven by the entertainment media companies. They are screaming about how you are STEALING profits from them when you get a digital copy of song or a file or of a movie clip. YOU'RE STEALING IT!!!!! For years, it has been fine for you or I to get an LP (record album for you youngin's out there) and make a cassette copy of said LP for personal use. Also, you have been able to purchase a video movie and invite your friends over to see said movie. Charge a dollar for it and you are breaking copyright law. STEALING IT!!!! For God's sake.

This stems right back to the license agreement legalese Mr. Gates started when IBM gave the world to him on a silver platter.

Now all companies want compensation for every copy made they own. It's not about Singapore making DVD's of the new James Bond flick before it's even released. They don't go after them. It's easier to scare law abiding people rather than go for the criminals. Make a new level of crime. Go ahead.

BTW, I was a musician for a time and I know and copyrights and getting money for it. I personally don't mind if people get music I wrote for free. It would be nice to get cash for it, but in reality I would see maybe 10% of every dollar made. I was a member of Broadcast Music Inc (BMI). Record companies see the most profit because they put up $$$ on a gamble that you'll sell music.

I say that if you get a song for free, maybe you'll like it and buy the rest on a CD. You can't usually get a whole CD off the net.

I think Mettalica or whoever, sucks crap and just how much money is enough? All of it?

"when gun or mp3s are outlawed, I will become an out law"

I think I remember something about ex-post facto  law or something like that from highshool. The way I remember (I barely paid attention) was it has to be a law BEFORE you can be found guilty of it. Or you have to break the law after it is enacted. I believe this is the same basis as Pre and post ban AR's.
I'm no lawyer though so I may be way off base here though![;)]

Its interesting.  I do the peer to peer thing but its because a) I've seen the movie and I want to see certain parts again, b) I want to make sure the movie is worth paying $7 to see, c) I only want a couple songs, d) I want the CD now for free since I will buy the special version that comes out with all the songs next year, e) the movie is crap but I still want to see it for some reason...


Few other reasons but this is off the top of my head.  Also read an article that the industry is losing money but its not because of the peer to peer.  Think of the entertainment market as a pie chart...you have video games, movies, CD's, few other things.  Now lets say (to keep it simple, the movie/CD industry controls half the market and the video game industry controls the other half.  Now lets say something happens that causes video games to be more popular.  People only have so much money so instead of paying such and such to see a movie, they are going to pay for the game instead...

The CD/movie industry is losing money because they've had a price fix on CD's and DVD's and VHS and people are unwilling to pay for it and stuff...maybe if they lowered their price a little more people would [i]buy[/i] it...

The way I see it, the only way to stop this madness is.
For govt. to first make us register our computers.
Second, the music media must sue all computer manufactures becouse they must somehow be responsible.
Third, no computer made after 1994 can have the ugly features such as CD Burner, MP3 software or Peer-Peer software.
Lastly, no hard drive may have the capacity to hold more than 10 gig.

[tinfoil-hat]They can take my MP3 files when they recover them from my cold dead hard drive![/tinfoil-hat]

And what of the legality of making evil "Pre Ban" copies of your own CDs to your own hard drive, in an evil "Pre Ban" MP3 format, for greater storage capacity. Particularly if you have an "Post Ban" internet connection. Must be intent to distribute!

Actually that thermite grenade sitting on top of the minitower makes sense now!

Semper Fi

[puke]