| Artists Rights and Theft Prevention Act -- Another Dangerous Law |
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A new piece of legislation called the 'Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act' will soon be making an appearance before Senate. Expanding on the 1997 No Electronic Theft Act, this new bill stiffens penalties against those found to have prerelease movies in their possession. Previously, such an offense was punishable by a jail term and fines up to $2,500. Jail terms ranged from 1 year to 6 years for multiple convictions. This new law could see fines of up to $250,000 on top of the jail terms. Also different in this new law is the wording which in effect says that no actual distribution needs to take place, only that it be available for distribution. Previously, copyright holders had to prove that files were copied by others. This new act automatically assumes such. MPAA spokesman Rich Taylor said "this legislation will go a long way toward targeting one of the most serious contributors to piracy right now, which is the practice of camcording motion pictures. It's the first time the U.S. Senate has had legislation that specifically addresses the threat of camcording." "Piracy for too long has been high-reward and low-risk," Taylor said. "Legislation such as that being introduced tomorrow will go a long way toward changing that equation." Aides to one of the Senators backing this bill (Cornyn) said it is designed to expand the 1997 No Electronic Theft Act, which already makes many forms of copyright infringement a federal felony. The draft bill will "help law enforcement pursue those who are already violating the law by establishing, by presumption, that if someone willfully puts out a pre-release file you have reached the economic harm threshold, which is standard under the NET Act," the aide said in an e-mail message [to CNet]. Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. are introducing the bill with the support of Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.. --- It should be noted that this new legislation applies only to prereleased movies so far, but how long until the RIAA gets invited to the party? Surely they will cry about losing money on prereleased albums. A dangerous trend is beginning to form, and Cornyn's aide put it best: "...This legislation simply makes it presumptive..." Should this trend continue, someday our grandchildren will ask us to tell them of the time, many years ago, when people were innocent until proven guilty. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Add your comment
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