Bush Signs Law Targeting P2P Pirates 727
BlakeCaldwell writes "CNet is reporting that President Bush signed into law the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act (previously-reported).
A lawbreaker can land in jail for up to three years for distributing a single copy of a prerelease movie on the Internet. The MPAA's president Dan Glickman applauded the move, stating he wanted to 'thank the congressional sponsors of this legislation for their strong advocacy for intellectual property rights.'"
Re:the word sponsor just leaves a bad taste.... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Not just Americans (Score:5, Informative)
Extradition doesn't mean you enforce foreign law on your citizens, it means you agree to repatriate foreign countries' citizens if they're wanted by the courts.
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Time Shift? (Score:5, Informative)
It also reasons that if I run an FTP server and password protect it (jim:jim), then it isn't "accessible to members of the public".
Re:Not that bad... (Score:4, Informative)
No. I just don't think it warrants a possible prison sentence of 3 years.
You can skip things that are offensive to you but not ads?
Ads are offensive to me; problem solved.
Quote from Alpha Centauri (Score:1, Informative)
- Academician Prokhor Zakharov, "For I have tasted the fruit"
Re:Quote from Alpha Centauri (Score:4, Informative)
For in his heart, he imagines himself your master. A lesson the Americans learned very painfully in Earth's final century, but incorrectly attributed; it was UN Commissioner Lal who said that.
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Not that bad... (Score:1, Informative)
In nevada, where I live, stealing a DVD from walmart would cost me $250 plus attourney's fees maximum. http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-597.html#NRS59
I know that topic is about pre-releases, but 3 years is pretty goofy...
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Not that bad... (Score:5, Informative)
Thus, for a motion picture such as Battlestar Galactica, there is a reasonable expectation of commercial distribution, but it has not been commercially distributed. It has not been made available for viewing in a motion picture exhibition facility, however, since the definition for that term is: The term `motion picture exhibition facility' means a movie theater, screening room, or other venue that is being used primarily for the exhibition of a copyrighted motion picture, if such exhibition is open to the public or is made to an assembled group of viewers outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances.
So since only one or the other has to be satisfied, it is a work being prepared for commercial release. Willfully distributing it on a computer network (e.g. Bit Torrent) is a felony and can result in significant civil penalties.
Is it so hard to look at the text of the law in question?
Re:Quote from Alpha Centauri (Score:4, Informative)
Re:lets get drunk and drive... (Score:2, Informative)
Average citizen steals a movie, goes to jail for 3 years.
Senator/Representative with a known history of piss poor driving? 100 days in jail.
"According to police, Janklow was behind the wheel of his Cadillac on August 16 when he ran a stop sign at a rural intersection about 10 miles south of Flandreau. Scott, who was riding his motorcycle home from his father-in-law's 80th birthday party, crashed into the side of Janklow's car and was killed."
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/01/22/janklow.sentenc
http://www.geocities.com/hrlygator10/Anti-Janklow