Jail Time For P2P Developers?

Kjella writes "A Califorian bill introduced last week would, if passed, expose file-swapping software developers to fines of up to $2,500 per charge, or a year in jail, if they don't take 'reasonable care' to prevent their software from being used to commit crime. C|Net has the story, as well as a link to the actual bill. By the overly broad definition of P2P software, almost any piece of internet software could be liable. This browser is certainly able to download and upload files ('Save as ...' and upload forms). Are Microsoft, Opera and Mozilla.org taking 'reasonable care' to prevent me from exchanging anything illegal? Of course, I never go there, but a friend of my uncle's third cousin's brother told me warez download sites work just fine ..."

Comments

Now at Sears....

[commo1]

The new Craftsman X-25 flat #2 screwdriver: Bill SB-96 compliant. "We have taken precautions to ensure that this screwdriver meets the requirements of 'reasonable care' to ensure that it may not be used to committ a crime. The screwdriver head will spontaneously turn into molten steel if you do not call you local enforcement office an obtain a license for any of the following activities: jimmying, scraping, prying, lifting or plain old screwdriving. If you are not sure, please contact your local enforcement office. Note: Only works with sDRM-(screwDriver Rights Management) compliant screwheads.

Reasonable care?

[rbarreira]

What does "reasonable care in preventing the use of their software to swap copyrighted music or movies--or child pornography" mean?

In other words, if I were Bram Cohen (Bittorrent's author), what if's would I have to put in my code in order to detect those illegal uses?

BTW, this should only affect developers who live in California, right?

Re:There's this thing called a browswer cache

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

Your hippy rhetoric falls on deaf ears. We at the Starbucks Legislature (formerly California State Legislature) easily ignore those problems that would seem to invalidate our laws. Selective enforcement and a cultivated ignorance of technology, what more does a junior state senator need?

Re:Apply the same to guns?

[l0b0]

Does this imply that reasonable steps should be taken by gun manufactures to prevents guns from being used for crimes?

Nope, because just as with guns, if you outlaw P2P programs only criminals will have them. And you don't want the crackhead down the street having a bigger stack of DVDs than you do, right...?

Sorry, I had to.

Good idea

[Junior J. Junior III]

If we put all programmers in jail, they'll be able to spend ALL of their time programming, instead of wasting their energy worrying about how to pay their bills. They already live in their parents basements, which are aesthetically similar enough that they probably won't even notice.

Re:Representatives of the People, Indeed

[saintp]

Silly Snowman! Cops are for the rich!

Didn't you realize that the state routinely acts as the private police of the wealthy at their behest? Why, a state that doesn't defend its business interests to the total exclusion of the interests of its citizens is hardly a state at all!

Hmm, you know, I might have something there....