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Berman Bill Dead in the Water?

Posted by timothy on from the hope-it's-deep-water dept.

Masem writes "Last summer, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced a bill that would legitimize computer attacks by copyright owners on those users that they believed were illegally trading copyright material; the bill recieved a fair amount of criticism for the potental viligante tactics it suggested. That session of Congress ended without resolution of the bill, though Rep. Berman promised to reintroduce it this session. However, the LA Times reports that support for the bill is nowhere as strong as before, and many believe that laws already exist that allow copyright owners to punish illegal traders; as a result, Berman appears to be unwilling to support the bill further. For example, while the MPAA supported the bill, some of the liabilities introduced into it to punish those copyright holders that went too far in their attacks were too much for the Hollywood group." Unfortunately, the LA Times site requires registration.

8 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. hrm by pummer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    so, what we're saying is, if a hacker makes up a song and slaps a copyright on it, that gives him legitamate reason to hack because "he believed the people were illegally using his copyrighted song???"

    hrrm

    1. Re:hrm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      You don't even have to create a song. Anything I write is immediately copyrighted under US law. You can write just about anything - code, poems, a novel, etc. - leak it to a P2P and then hack away.

    2. Re:hrm by gnovos · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You don't even have to create a song. Anything I write is immediately copyrighted under US law. You can write just about anything - code, poems, a novel, etc. - leak it to a P2P and then hack away.

      How about this: Send an email to the host you wish to attack with a header that states that if they save it to disk, they are in violation of the liscense. Once the receive it, assuming they use a typical mailserver, they now in violation and feel free to attck!

      --
      "Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
  2. And what if... by Aliencow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What if I run an Operating system and a firewall secure enough to keep them out. Will then I be guilty not only of pirating, but also of "protecting myself against legal privacy theft" ?

  3. what i want to know is.. by frodo+from+middle+ea · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Had the bill gone thru , would it be then illegal to protect my PC from possible hollywood hacking?
    Can i go to jail for installing a firewall and blocking all ports ?

    --
    for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
  4. Bothered by the use of "extra"... by Overt+Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Is it just me, or does this strike anyone else as ominous:
    copyright holders may not need extra protection to combat file-sharing piracy

    Is this a refernece to things such as Palladium, "Trusted Computing", and DRM?

  5. Gee, why doesn't this surprise me....? by ShatteredDream · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The US government more than ever is taking a stance against anything resembling terrorism. If it looks like it, smells like it, quacks like it, then by God it wouldn't look too good for ol' fedgov to be supporting it now would it? Lawlessness like this is a form of terrorism and I wouldn't be surprised if Berman's GOP competitor accuses him of various things not the least of which is trying to legalize terrorism by the wealthy against the rest of us.

    On a different note, let the MPAA continue such proposals! The more people see the kind of system they want the more they'll see them as nogoodniks. You win over people on this issue in my experience by showing them over and over again that these aren't cool people, that they're really self-righteous tyrants. I have no sympathy for all of the leftists in Hollywood who have no problem lobbying for Socialism, but who complain when we "redistribute their wealth." You can't impose a welfare state on me and expect me to even give consideration to the idea that I might be doing something unethical by copying copyrighted works for myself or my friends.

    --
    Click here or a puppy gets stomped!
  6. My Rights Enforced Maybe ??? by anubi · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I consider MY name, address, personal info, medical history, credit records, purchasing data, etc, MY own property. I created it. I own it. I *am* the author of my life. And I claim the copyright.

    This said, does the Berman Bill give me the right to haxor into any site that I believe may be harboring this data?

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]