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Congress May Outlaw 'Attempted Piracy'
cnet-declan writes "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is asking Congress to make 'attempted' copyright infringement a federal crime. The text of the legislation as well as the official press-release is available online. Rep. Lamar Smith, a key House Republican, said he 'applauds' the idea, and his Democratic counterpart is probably on board too. In addition, the so-called Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007 would create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software in some circumstances, expand the DMCA with civil asset forfeiture, and authorize wiretaps in investigations of Americans who are 'attempting' to infringe copyrights. Does this go too far?"
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
I don't know ... distributing Gigli and Battlefield Earth might be a start.
FTFA:
Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software. Anyone using counterfeit products who "recklessly causes or attempts to cause death" can be imprisoned for life. During a conference call, Justice Department officials gave the example of a hospital using pirated software instead of paying for it.
No sig for you! Come back, one year!
Until Microsoft get's the "execution for violating patents" law passed.
"The Federal Reserve is a fraudulent system."--Lew Rockwell
End The FED. -
Gonzo is supposed to be giving the bill more credibility?!?!
That would be great! They would try to hold someone accountable under the IPPA2007 law, but would find that no lawyers, prosecutors, or judges could recall exactly what part of the law had been violated, and then find that no one actually wrote the law down. In the end, the person would still be convicted though, because everyone knows they broke the law, they just can't remember how.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Ineptitude, or possibly a short attention span?
Mutant Freaks of Nature: "Frighteningly Addictive"
Sideshow Bob: Attempted murder, now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel Prize for attempted chemistry?
What would you call manganese dioxide with a shotgun?
A salt with a deadly weapon!!!
...so yeah, about not quitting my day job?
Ummm, manganese dioxide is a metal oxide, not a salt. Salts are ionic.
A metal oxide with a deadly weapon still sounds pretty scary, though.
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!