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Copyright Law Mashup Moving Through Congress
The Importance of writes "The INDUCE Act may be dead (for now), but that doesn't mean that Congress won't pass any copyright laws this year. Right now, HR 4077, the "Piracy Deterrence in Education" bill pulls together a number of different initiatives to not only get the government involved in civil copyright enforcement, but change fundamental definitions in copyright, and make certain types of home video viewing illegal. The Senate version (brought to you by Sen. Hatch and Leahy) adds even more copyright law changes. According to Public Knowledge, 'The recording industry and Hollywood are making headway! Threatening bills are positioned to move possibly today or tomorrow (yes, even Saturday!) in the Senate and we need your help, now. Not only do they want to rewrite copyright law (again) to lower the standard required for criminal enforcement of copyright infringement; but now they're changing how you watch TV or DVDs in your own home! The bills (H.R. 4077 and H.R. 2391) also are written to make the way you use iTunes and WiFi a crime. '"
$20 says INDUCE gets tagged onto this one before it's voted on... any takers?
-lk
I can stand that they try to make hardware developers criminals (Induce Act vs. PS2-chip makers)... I can stand that they want to ban Kazaa (piracying is illegal)...
but MAKING something that we already do ILLEGAL? Who do they think they are, The Sheriff of Nottingham?
They're bringing doom upon themselves. Soon many (WAY MANY) Robin Hoods from outside the US will crush them and take from them whatever they love the most: Money.
In the discussion about the INDUCE Act stalling, several people predicted that the plan was to have the consumer (copyright) rights proponents expend all their energy and finances on opposing the INDUCE Act and that the real draconian act would sneak by the victory parade. Looks like they were right.
Since when is not waching an advertisement illegal? That seems a constitutional violation - No one has a right to FORCE me to watch/listen to anything.
If the people living in the states of the politicians sponsoring this mess would vote them out, maybe the fascist/socialist elements in our government will finally be 'mashed'.
Seriously, you could argue that the advertising reduces the cost of the product, and therefore users must view them. But where does it end? Would you force people to spend 15 seconds looking at the ad on the side of a bus before they get on?
Bottom line: advertisers should NEVER have the power to force people to look at their ads, lest our lives become a living hell.
Just kidding. i am playing devils advocate here and I agree with you 100%. Tons of our rights have been stripped away in the USA. However, we have to suck it up because the Dems and Repubs have a monopoly on the voting system and prevent 3rd party candidates.
Our law makers pretty much just give in to whoever has the most cash and let the courts (our tax dollars) pick the winner in disputes. However, most of our judges are corrupted as well. Some supreme judges ruled that corporations have "freedom of speech" and are allowed to give bribes (campaign contributions), to the law makers. It is really sad that a non-human (corporation) is given _MORE_ rights in the USA then a US citizen. As a US Marine, I say it is time for a revolution to take back what is ours.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land,
it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison
First I would like to say, everyone comparing fastforwarding through a boring part of a movie or skipping past a boring part of a book as being illegal by this law are just dumb (not trying to flame). Advertising pays for your free television channels or keeps the prices down if you have a pay for service.
With that said, yes, they can not force you to watch these ads and I do not believe there should be laws created to guarantee you can't bypass these commercials. I for one did NOT sign any agreement with any television broadcasting company saying that in exchange for free entertainment I would inturn watch their brain washing commercials.
What happened to our representatives representing the PEOPLE. Though corporations might have some of the same rights as a person (though not being held to their crimes like a person) they do not qualify as a person and should not be represented as one by our politicians.
This government was created by and for the people and I for one do not feel that these types of laws represent the best interest of 99.99% of the population of the United States. Tax payers money should not be spent on educating children on copyright laws. 1) It's ineffective, we've all been to school.... 2) Why not start spending tax payers money of educating kids at school on why product A is better than product B?? Or better yet they can teach us about Jesus!!!
Maybe there should be some laws seperating corporations from state as we do with religion and state. And for the same reasons too....
I'm watching the US from a distance, it's slowly going to hell. A real hell where real people live right now, not the imaginary one that doesn't exist.
I think the topic of this discussion is a side-effect. I think, the question this all starts with is: how can you stop American politicians from being legally bribed?
It's really obvious looking from the outside in that America is rotting, it's more difficult to see from the inside because the ones that are trying to control the government, and succeeding in my opinion, are the ones that feed you information through TV.
You guys and girls have to do something because it's going to influence the rest of the world when America, with it's giant military/industrial complex is going to hell. You either vote for Republicans so they speed up the nastyness and it's obvious to everyone. Or you have to slowly take back control. We've already had a Hitler and it gets pounded into us at school, the events that lead up to his rise to power. You want to have a live example before you realize? Or take our word for it that it's not such a good idea.
It's so obvious to outsiders that republicans are lyars, and we're like, "why can't Americans see the truth?".
- -- Truth addict for life.