Gonzales proposes new crime: "Attempted" copyright infringement

CNet News Blog ^ | May 15, 2007 | Declan McCullagh

[dayglored]

Gonzales proposes new crime: "Attempted" copyright infringement

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is pressing the U.S. Congress to enact a sweeping intellectual property bill that would increase criminal penalties for copyright infringement, including "attempts" to commit piracy.

"To meet the global challenges of IP crime, our criminal laws must be kept updated," Gonzales said during a speech before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington on Monday.

The Bush administration is throwing its support behind a proposal called the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007, which is likely to receive the enthusiastic support of the movie and music industries and would represent the most dramatic rewrite of copyright law since a 2005 measure dealing with pre-release piracy.

...

• Criminalize "attempting" to infringe copyright...
• Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software...
• Permit more wiretaps for piracy investigations...
• Allow computers to be seized more readily...
• Increase penalties for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's anti-circumvention regulations...
• Add penalties for "intended" copyright crimes...
• Require Homeland Security to alert the Recording Industry Association of America...

...

[Petronski]

Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software...

Can't be true. Got to be satire.

[dayglored]

See my reply above (comment #18).

The wrongness of piracy has nothing to do with the unconstitutionality of this legislation.

[misterrob]

I don’t care for all of the things listed as enforcement techniques but the fact remains that IP theft is a crime. Some of the crimes include people copying CDs, movies and software then trying to dump them back in our market or serving as an agent of spreading someone else’s IP around the market.

I also love listening to people complain about Hollywood or the RIAA making enough money. They sound just like that beyotch Hillary when she is going on about the oil companies.

[bamahead]

PING

[Diogenesis]

If only the DOJ cared about TERRORISTS and STOLEN FBI files more.

[misterrob]

I want IP rights enforced but there are several aspects of this that I find troubling. Making it easier to seize people’s computers? Wiretapping??

[loungitude]

...

Criminalize “attempting” to infringe copyright...
Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software...
Permit more wiretaps for piracy investigations...
Allow computers to be seized more readily...
Increase penalties for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention regulations...
Add penalties for “intended” copyright crimes...
Require Homeland Security to alert the Recording Industry Association of America...
...
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Isn’t this a list of things being foiled by dems in the hunt for terrorists? The same things now they want to use to hunt for software pirates? Life in prison for bootleg sw?

[STFrancis]

I second that.... He’s lost it...

[Digger]

Why don’t Gonzalez work on enforcing our current laws, instead of coming up with new unnecessary crap?

This fool is just part of the elites/Globalism/One World Order that GW is part of as is Klintoon as is most in this corrupt "Two-Party Cartel". So again I say if you ever want to change things it will take a true revolution & leaders outside of this cartel. Realistically a dem or pub will be the next president ergo I vote for a Thompson/ Hunter ticket.

[loungitude]

Stealing other people’s property is immoral and illegal. Saying that we are using the government to “prop up” an industry that you don’t care for is incorrect.
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Agreed. But “life-in-prison” immoral and illegal?

[dayglored]

> Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software... Can't be true. Got to be satire.

Nope

The life-imprisonment penalty applies if the piracy is involved in a life-critical operation. Like say a hospital has a pirated copy of Windows... No, I'm not kidding.

[misterrob]

Private property is private property. Someone owns the music, movies, content and have established a pricing and distribution agreement with the people that buy it. Just because we have created technology that allows us to copy and distribute content doesn’t obviate the need to protect IP. You are not allowed to photocopy books and distribute them either.

[tflabo]

Why don’t Gonzalez work on enforcing our current laws, instead of coming up with new unnecessary crap?

Same goes for the illegal aliens and border issues.

[Digger]

Why not make it a crime to steal TOP SECRET DOCUMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, SHRED THEM AND THEN LIE ABOUT IT?

I luv it. Reply of the day.

[ThePythonicCow]

Yup - it’s time.

[Tijeras_Slim]

OK, under this Alberto should be jailed for infringing on the brightness of a 10 watt bulb.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software

Neither cruel NOR unusual????

[bamahead]

* Allow computers to be seized more readily. Specifically, property such as a PC "intended to be used in any manner" to commit a copyright crime would be subject to forfeiture, including civil asset forfeiture. Civil asset forfeiture has become popular among police agencies in drug cases as a way to gain additional revenue, and is problematic and controversial.

So...you download or install a piece of software used to burn CD's or DVD's...maybe you just want to convert your old 8mm home movies...next thing you know, the Feds are at your door demanding to know what your 'intent' is?

This country has gone looney toons, and I can't sit back and blame Democrats alone anymore. Who will liberate us from this madness of Government run amok?

[GraniteStateConservative]

I was getting tired of having constitutional rights anyway.

[July 4th]

Maybe they’re trying to use the existing law on piracy for software “pirates,” because that’s insane.