File-swappers who distribute a single copy of a prerelease movie on the Internet can be imprisoned for up to three years, according to a bill that President Bush signed into law on Wednesday.
The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, approved by the House of Representatives last Tuesday, represents the entertainment industry's latest attempt to thwart rampant piracy on file-swapping networks. Movies such as "Star Wars: Episode II," "Tomb Raider" and "The Hulk," have been spotted online before their theatrical releases.
The law had drawn some controversy because it broadly says that anyone who has even one copy of an unreleased film, software program or music file in a shared folder could be subjected to prison terms and fines of up to three years. Penalties would apply regardless of whether that file was downloaded or not.
I really think it's great that "FAMILY entertainment" is in the title. It reflects that this law is REALLY about FAMILY VALUES and not about CUTBACKS TO THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. We're protecting our families and their values, see? If you download a movie and realize it's against the law, eventually you'll realize that you can break ANY law and not get caught, so you'll go out and kill your local drug dealer to take over his corner. You'll start people on weed because it's a "gateway drug" that will cause them to come back to you for "meth," which, as we all know, comes from Sudafed, which we have to pack behind the counter at Walmart because we need "over the counter" to actually mean OVER the counter...
We live in a bizarro world; you know that, right?
2 comments:
If we step out of the extreme absurdity of this to begin with...
Isn't it kind of strange that the penalty is 3 years for ripping a movie, and usually just a matter of months, probation, or even just a fine for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance? I mean, I'd hate to go to prison for possession of something that's not even tangible... I'm struggling to even see the logic behind the sentencing (and this is, of course, after completely disregarding the lack of logic in the idea that something is being illegally transacted).
That's the funny thing about "illegal" these days; it really just comes down to meaning "unregulated."
Yeah, and you don't even have to DOWNLOAD it. Possession is all they need. There have got to be circumstances when a person's possession isn't enough... Ya' know?
It's also amazing that if you have enough money, you can buy any legislation or ruling you want from Washington D.C. Remember the "it's okay to be fat; in fact, it's really good for you! Pack on the pounds! And be sure to use Mastercard to do it! Oh, and don't smoke!!" report? And now this.
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