P2P File Sharing Could Cost You A Bundle

geekee writes "CNET posted an article claiming you could be liable for $250,000 in fines and up to 3 years in prison for p2p file sharing. This is due to an obscure law called the No Electronic Theft (NET) act passed in 1997 (signed by Bill Clinton). Although the Justice Department has not prosecuted anyone under this new law, some members of congress have asked John Ashcroft to begin prosecuting. In response to the request, John Malcolm, a deputy assistant attorney general, said to expect some NET Act prosecutions."

Comments

Funny

[Stanley Feinbaum]

In Switzerland, they actually let people VOTE on whether they want these acts or not.

Got to love America's "Democratic" government, passing laws without even letting the people know.

Re:Funny

[machine of god]

In Switzerland, important changes to the law must be approved by the public.

ah yes, but who decides what's important? Or is that just something that a dirty american would say.

Ahem

[dnaumov]

So a person goes and STEALS music. He gets sued and has to pay money / sit in jail. What's wrong about that ? If you start seeing people who get sued for downloading songs they ALREADY OWN, then raise hell.

Re:Sooo, what else is new?

[kbielefe]

I'm glad to hear that you feel that way. I'll be making arrangments with your payroll department to get a certain amount deducted from your pay and sent to my bank account every month. Don't worry, it won't be a large amount, only $15 (about the price of a CD). I'm sure your payroll officer will agree because it is not theft since you will never see the money on your paycheck in the first place.

Re:It's not a democracy. It's a republic.

[Vainglorious Coward]

5 : the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges

So we in the USA live in a Democratic Republic

Definition 5 is false in the US. Is the current president in the whitehouse thanks solely to his own abilities and merits?

When Are You Morons Going to Realize....

[Master of Transhuman]

LAW CREATES CRIME!

The purpose of government is as follows:

"You give us everything you have and do everything we tell you and we'll protect you from the bad people outside our borders and the bad people inside our borders (i.e, your neighbor and you - according to your neighbor) - and if there aren't any bad people inside or outside our borders, we'll make some."

So we have laws to criminalize drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, guns, music, comic books, video games, etc. ad infinitum, and we have Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden, etc., ad infinitum, all of which is created by the stroke of a pen and the distribution of tax dollars while everyone so affected votes for this to happen, then complains when it happens to THEM...

The whole sham is nothing but an extortion and protection racket, and not ONE PERCENT of the fucking population can see this...

Morons...