Bill Introduced to make Song-Swapping a Felony

Omega65Omega65 Philadelphia, Pa
edited July 2003 in Science & Tech
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/07/17/music.internet.reut/index.html&quot; target=_blank>CNN: Bill Introduced in the House to make Song-Swapping a Felony</a>

<b>Making it a Felony</b>

Few online copyright violators have faced criminal charges so far. A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to distributing a digital copy of the movie "The Hulk" in federal court three weeks ago, but the Justice Department has not taken action against Internet users who offer millions of copies of songs each day.

The Conyers-Berman bill would operate under the assumption that each copyrighted work made available through a computer network was copied by others at least 10 times for a total retail value of $2,500. That would bump the activity from a misdemeanor to a felony, carrying a sentence of up to five years in jail.

<b>Too broad a brush?</b>

The Recording Industry Association of America praised the bill and said it would help them fight illegal online copying.

One copyright expert said the bill paints online song-swapping with too broad a brush as much of that activity does not rise to a criminal level.

"We don't think it should be the role of the FBI to treat all copyright infringement as criminal," said Mike Godwin, staff counsel at Public Sector, a nonprofit group that frequently disagrees with the RIAA. "

more <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/07/17/music.internet.reut/index.html&quot; target=_blank>here</a>

Comments

  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    Doubt it would help them much... :ninja:
  • Omega65Omega65 Philadelphia, Pa
    edited July 2003
    If this passes, anyone who shares even one song, can face a Felony charge.

    Thats a Very big stick! (ask Meepins...)

    All the RIAA needs to do is make an example of the first 100 people they catch sharing even ONE song......
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited July 2003
    I think people are entitled to profit from their work, but this goes too far. The next time I hear about some clown getting off easy for a serious crime, or an unsolved murder, I'll think of all the resources going into tracking down the horrible file-swappers.

    Sheesh.:hrm:


    Prof
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    The power of Corporate America in politics, bluntly displayed.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited July 2003
    Omega65 said
    The Conyers-Berman bill would operate under the assumption that each copyrighted work made available through a computer network was copied by others at least 10 times for a total retail value of $2,500.

    ...and do the math. This assumes each "copyrighted work" is worth $250.

    One heckuva tune...:thumbsdow


    Prof
  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited July 2003
    i wonder where they get that # from. even if EVERYONE had a copy of adobe photoshop pirated i'm sure the sheer quantity of other pirated material would drop the avg value to much less than $250
  • PreacherPreacher Potomac, MD Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    Kinda reminds of the day in Sixth Grade when Sister Gianetta at Our Lady of Good Hope Catholic School told me that I'd go to hell for masturbating. I asked her where Hitler and Stalin were. She said in Hell as well. She didn't like it when I questioned the logic of comparing a person having a little "harmless pleasure" to the genocide of millions. But hey, who knows....gotta go download another Best of the 1980s album.
  • IonFizzleIonFizzle
    edited July 2003
    Woah, preacher, that's an excellent point.
  • SlickSlick Upstate New York
    edited July 2003
    Preacher can debate anything :). Doing this is even stupider than the war on drugs. If people want something enough, they will get it. At this point in file-sharing its done with ease, and there is no way to turn it back. People will pirate files and there is no way to stop it, despite what they are trying to do.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    Preacher--

    That reminds me, thought I saw a request for a 90's top hits list from you....

    try googling

    "Top 100"+90's

    Good hunting (for songs).
  • PreacherPreacher Potomac, MD Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    Guilty as charged, Slick. Although my intention was not to turn this into a RIAA vs Napster discussion. I agree totally however. Prohibition didn't work with alcohol and it isn't working with drugs. I've seen that first hand.

    As for song-swapping, I'd happily pay for digital music, but not for crappy service, bad software, and high prices.

    Ageek,
    Thanks for the tip, but I'm specifically looking for the VH-1 Top 90 of the 1990s list. This is the first time the omniscient Google has failed me. I'll happily part with two military patches for the Carrier Group Staff I work on and the mighty Carrier, the USS John C. Stennis to anyone who can find it.
  • qparadoxqparadox Vancouver, BC
    edited July 2003
    Yeah i definitely agree with you preacher, who wants to pay for 128kb mp3's? they sound like crap and are full of awful distortions. If a service offered downloads of mp3's / ogg's / something of around 250 kb bit rate and most definitely a variable bit rate I'd pay for it. Fixed rate encoding is the most retarded concept ever for music, why does silence need to be encoded at the same rate as a complete orchestra? Bleh if only ERTW.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited July 2003
    qparadox said
    Bleh if only ERTW.

    qparadox, that's a new one on me. Care to help a poor old confused guy out?


    Prof:D
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    this is horrible...the sheer fact that smoking weed can get u into less trouble than pirated music...this is phooking absurb...MAN!!! i PAY for some of my music...i BUY cds when their worth it..usually i wanna dl a song i hear at a club...or on the radio...just one song...and cd prices r NUTS!! 20 bucks for a cd...wht the hel!?!?! they expect me...to give them more than 2 hours of my time (i get paid 11.77 an bour) to hear not even an hours worth of material?!?! PISS OFF!! if it was 5 bucks a cd...it would be worth it...but plz....i think i speak for everyone here when i say
    in americanish
    PISS OFF
    in brithish
    BUGGER OFF!!
    in necro uk''s language
    Clicky clicky clock
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