Posted on 06/06/2006 3:05:04 AM PDT by prisoner6
This will be a busy week in the House -- Congress goes into summer recess Friday, but not before considering the Section 115 Reform Act of 2006 (SIRA). Never heard of SIRA? That’s the way Big Copyright and their lackey’s want it, and it's bad news for you.
Simply put, SIRA fundamentally redefines copyright and fair use in the digital world. It would require all incidental copies of music to be licensed separately from the originating copy. Even copies of songs that are cached in your computer's memory or buffered over a network would need yet another license. Once again, Big Copyright is looking for a way to double-dip into your wallet, extracting payment for the same content at multiple levels.
Today, so-called "incidental" copies don't need to be licensed; they're made in the process of doing *other* things, like listening to your MP3 library or plugging into a Net radio station. If you paid for the MP3 and the radio station is up-to-date with its bookkeeping, nobody should have to pay again, right? Not if SIRA becomes law. Out of the blue, copyright holders would have created an entire new market to charge for -- and sue over. Good for them. Bad for us.
Don't let Big Copyright legalize double dipping. Fight SIRA today.
The House is going into recess for the summer at the end of this week, so you have a unique opportunity to kill this legislation. If we can stall SIRA now it would effectively kill it for the reminder of the year, giving us more time to prepare an offensive.
Please call the Members of the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property and voice your opposition to this legislation.
The original article ends with a list of contacts for the congresscritters.
I don't imagine this bill has much a chance but who knows. If it does it could keep the courts busy for years.
Word is te bill is going to be introduced and marked-up on Wednesday.
prisoner6
I thought back up copies for personal use were legal?
This sounds bad but either will not pass or cannot be enforced.
prisoner6
Everything has a chance with the knuckleheads we have in DC these days. Wonder who sponsored it?
The government raids homes daily on suspicion of 'drug' charges. Looks like more government powers to me. I don't like this potential bill.
prisoner6
" I thought back up copies for personal use were legal?
This sounds bad but either will not pass or cannot be enforced."
it would just be more to add to the "Book" they could throw at you for some offer violation
I agree, post#6 was my interpretation of it.
It may not be universally enforcable, but it could have a pretty big effect - if streaming music falls under it, as the author notes, then they can bill the internet site that streams the music for everyone that hooks to it. In effect, it's like charging a radio station for every person that listens to a song, only the internet allows them to actually give a good estimate of how many folks have hooked up. It's another way to extort money from a new source, which allows the collection of more taxes, which usually brightens up a politician's day.
It also implies the right to enter your house on suspicion. I do not like this.
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