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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.

4 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

  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. 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]