[Article net] Senate passes strict P2P bill

Senate passes strict P2P bill

September 15, 2008 12:04 p.m. by Andrew Winistorfer



Apparently all the leg humping
the RIAA did at the Democratic and Republican conventions paid off, as
the U.S. Senate has approved legislation that creates a cabinet-level
copyright enforcer and allows the government to personally sue
copyright violators. This is obviously big news, as
people downloading Tokio Hotel illegally could always count on long
litigation time thanks to the RIAA having to jump through hoops to sue
people. Now, the government can step in and press charges against
people illegally downloading directly. Is that bootleg of their album
worth federal jail time? The bill passed 14-4 in the
Judiciary Committee, and it also makes for tougher penalties for
copyright infringement. It’s a bold move to create what is essentially
a copyright czar, and puts the U.S. at the forefront of chasing illegal
downloaders. There’s one solace for illegal downloaders
though—the U.S. senate created the drug czar position in 1988, and you
can still buy drugs as freely as before. You'll probably still be able
to download Heroes illegally in 2028.

Source http://www.prefixmag.com/news/senate-passes-strict-p2p-bill/21606/