Slashdot Mirror
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?"
We have laws for attempted murder, rape, and arson so why not laws for attempted piracy. It sounds like a great idea to me and anyone who does not support it is nothing more than a criminal trying to justify criminal behaviors and activities.
Step by step, the U.S.A. is turning itself into the radiant shadow of a Banana Republic. The Old World is catching up to you and it is killing you.
Enjoy your enslavement.
In the liquor store shooting, society loses the $50 in the till and an easily-replaced minimum wage clerk ($15K per year, tops). The copyright infringer costs society $150K with every copy. With an internet connection, the pirate could be causing millions or even billions of dollars in damages every day. Imprison the infringers, and the world's money supply doubles.