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Infringement 'Detrimental To the Public Health, Safety'

Posted by Soulskill on from the just-may-save-your-family's-lives dept.

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has declared that copyright infringement 'substantially interferes with the interest of the public in the quality of life and community peace, lawful commerce in the county, property values, and is detrimental to the public health, safety, and welfare of the county's citizens, its businesses and its visitors.' You might laugh, but that means they can close up a property for up to one year for violations of the anti-infringement ordinance [PDF] and the owner can be fined $1,000 for each infringing work produced on site. Not to mention the penalties in the PRO-IP Act, which just sailed through the House."

1 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This always happens by russotto · · Score: 0, Redundant

    The problem isn't a few powerful evil elites.
    Who do you think chooses who gets on the ballot? The typical general public, in the party primaries. It is reasonably easy for pretty much anyone to get on the primary ballot if they really want to - as Stephen Colbert demonstrated as a gag.


    Stephen Cobert isn't "anyone". And it hardly matters if you can get on the ballot if you have no chance of going further (ask Ron Paul). You don't think there's a few elites deciding things? Explain the meteoric rise of John McCain without them. Granted, that's the Republican party which is more comfortable with such things, but the Democrats have their smoke-filled rooms as well. After Giuliani, the previous candidate anointed by the Republican elite, stepped on his crank, they switched to McCain, and virtually overnight, he was the front runner. That's the reality.