US Congress Creates Copyright Cops

[safan80]

http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=414687

Not satisfied with pitiful potential penalties of $150,000 for infringing upon a $0.99 song, Congress is proposing new copyright cops in the "'PRO IP' Act of 2007, specifically the creation of the Office of the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative (USIPER). They also feel that the authorities need the authority to seize any computers used for infringement and to send copyright cops abroad to help other countries enforce US laws. MPAA boss Dan Glickman praised the bill saying that, 'films left costs foreign and domestic distributors, retailers and others $18 billion a year,' though Ars points out that it allegedly costs the studios only $6 billion.

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...1&threshold=-1

the bill grants this new agency the right to seize any computer or network hardware used to "facilitate" a copyright crime and auction it off. You would not need to be found guilty at trial to face this penalty. You may want to read a justification of it, and criticism presented by Declan McCullagh and Public Knowledge.

[CyberDruid]

The CyberNazis!

it was only a matter of time. I never thought Hollywood would bring us down though...

[awdrifter]

The gov't is just a puppet for the big corporations, it's not going to change. If they are just going to seize the computers and aution it off, it's not really a big deal for us home users, just put all the p2p stuff on an old Athlon 2100 rig. The can only seize that.

[Spawne32]

you gotta be kidding me

[safan80]

you gotta be kidding me

no your are not dreaming

[CyberDruid]

This is EXACTLY like the failed "War on Drugs" where habeus corpus was suspended and the whole idea of innocent till proven guilty was thrown out the window.

Much like our war on Terror..all one needs is the label apparently and the target is fair game no holds barred.

Perhaps the "Revolution" will be electronic and economic, not violent. If we just stop buying their product they lose the ammunition (money) they need to wage war on us.

[Fairydust]

Wait till they send you to Guantanamo Bay for quoting a movie.

[Sparky]

retarded

They are gonna waste more $$$ doing this than anything else.

[xlink]

The gov't is just a puppet for the big corporations, it's not going to change. If they are just going to seize the computers and aution it off, it's not really a big deal for us home users, just put all the p2p stuff on an old Athlon 2100 rig. The can only seize that.

the government is NOT just a puppet for the big corperations, it's not going to change.

The government IS a big corporation and the most corrupt one at that. Unlike other companies, we must purchase the goods and services of the government whether or not we like it.

[MotF Bane]

Buy a 50 dollar hard drive enclosure, and if they ever show up, slap the drive in the enclosure.

[Bobsama]

Or just keep the drive in the enclosure. What can they do really? Take the drive and slap you on the wrist?

[DTU_XaVier]

Or just keep the drive in the enclosure. What can they do really? Take the drive and slap you on the wrist?

They'll pull your ass to court as well... Seriously, when is this gonna stop?
Because the pirates will probably be the ones hurt the least by this...

The thing that frightens me the most, is the part where they say they'll gladly travel to other countries to enforce THEIR laws on foreign soil....
Oh, wait... I should've expected that

Best Regards

[MuffinFlavored]

I'd rather see the funding and effort in auctioning off my baby (rig) go to something like, real crime?

I'm sure this is a real crime, but I'd rather see gang members and mass murderers put to rest.

I'd rather read about the death penalty then read about someone getting their rig stripped because they got caught using their bandwith to grab the latest cinema.

I think we should all chip in via Paypal, buy a rowbot and a rock, and become our independent country, with our own independent power source and internet in the middle of no where. Horray!

[MrChubz]

I swear. Just some more feel good politics. I guarantee the public won't like this, the authorities who will have to drive around all day just to get a hard drive thrown at their faces won't like it, the singers, actors, whoever the "victims" are aren't gaining anything, so really who gains from this? The congressmen who will now get a better night's sleep thinking their actually doing something?

[hstuehmeyer2000]

were are already trillions of dollars in deat , hell lets just waste some more money

[hstuehmeyer2000]

deat

i meant debt, lol

[Northwood]

love to see them wade in to russia or china trying to enforce some "US" law

[xlink]

love to see them wade in to russia or china trying to enforce some "US" law

thermonuclearwar

[DTU_XaVier]

thermonuclearwar

At least it'll put an end to software-pirating..
Some smug US politician will declare "mission accomplished" the second the first nuke lands on thepiratebay.org's server...

[Northwood]

At least it'll put an end to software-pirating..
Some smug US politician will declare "mission accomplished" the second the first nuke lands on thepiratebay.org's server...

yes long live the pirate bay! my fav site shame axxo left the site though, had some quality torrents.

[tiro_uspsss]

The thing that frightens me the most, is the part where they say they'll gladly travel to other countries to enforce THEIR laws on foreign soil....
Oh, wait... I should've expected that

the day some foreigner knocks on my front door *trying* to enforce their foreign law on me is the day i

a) become a racist
b) possibly kill somone (them)

i will drag them inside my house, tie them to a chair then make them watch me pirate stuff for a week before physically torturing them, thus, hopefully, giving them second thoughts about try to play 'copyright cop' in someone elses country

[knightwolf654]

the day some foreigner knocks on my front door *trying* to enforce their foreign law on me is the day i

a) become a racist
b) possibly kill somone (them)

i will drag them inside my house, tie them to a chair then make them watch me pirate stuff for a week before physically torturing them, thus, hopefully, giving them second thoughts about try to play 'copyright cop' in someone elses country

can you record it so i can pirate it off you. (doesn't make since i know.)
big waste of money. plain and simple.

[tiro_uspsss]

can you record it so i can pirate it off you. (doesn't make since i know.)

i'll even put it on YT - just for u!

[Spawne32]

the day some foreigner knocks on my front door *trying* to enforce their foreign law on me is the day i

a) become a racist
b) possibly kill somone (them)

i will drag them inside my house, tie them to a chair then make them watch me pirate stuff for a week before physically torturing them, thus, hopefully, giving them second thoughts about try to play 'copyright cop' in someone elses country

[MuffinFlavored]

were are already trillions of dollars in deat , hell lets just waste some more money

Yeah, we are going through a war and a drought? (Or is the drought just my state?)

My science teacher, who veers off the subject of science alot, was discussing how Ronald Regan freed the country from debt, and tried to make Bush look bad saying he is the reason the country is in trillions of dollars of debt, and I agreed with this too, but my friends dad pointed out that we are going through a war, which isn't free. :P

I just saw a commercial for Pirates of the Caribbean 3, it said it was the most purchased DVD, and my mind just registered, the most pirated film.