Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Stiffer Penalties for Copyright Violations

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the duck-and-cover dept.

smallfries writes "US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has proposed much harsher punishments for copyright violations, including jail time. The Intellectual Property Protection Act [PDF Warning] doesn't appear to change the fundamentals of US copyright law but does allow more leeway for the police when investigating suspected crimes, and harsher punishments for those convicted. A response with a link to one site's look at the bill is up on Linux Electrons. Now that attempting the crime has such severe consequences, who will be the first to go to jail for running a p2p client?"

1 of 502 comments (clear)

  1. Re:It seems to me ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    All true, unless we elect the other guy next time we go to the booth. Then the next criminal offenses will be:

    1. Selling private health insurance
    2. Selling anything for more than the absolute minimum cost of materials that went into producing it
    3. Private ownership of property or businesses
    4. Operating a blog without registering for a license
    5. Going to church (misdemeanor)
    6. Inviting somebody else to go with you to church (felony)
    7. Starting a church (death sentence)
    8. Teaching that scientists aren't omniscient

    What's that you say? You mean the other guys DON'T want to pass those laws? You mean I'm putting words into people's mouths? You mean I'm just dragging the discussion into the dirt by saying things that are obviously not true to even the most ignorant, unaware individual just to score cheap points?

    I'm very sorry.