Don't be fooled by the Biden Bill (S. 2395)

[wessman]

ALERT: Bait and Switch; Anticounterfeiting Bill Hurts Your Rights!

Don't be fooled by Senator Biden's "Anticounterfeiting Amendments of 2002" (S. 2395, also known as "the Biden Bill"). It started as an attempt to stop organized crime from forging holograms and counterfeiting money, but its scope has been greatly expanded to include digital watermarks on copyrighted material. This is a sneaky power-grab that would greatly diminish the rights of the public in copyrighted works while expanding the power of copyright owners. It goes well beyond the scope of current copyright law and could:

~ Prevent universities, libraries, and consumers from enjoying the exceptions to the Copyright Act adopted by Congress. S. 2935 could prohibit the use of interface information essential for software interoperability and competition

~ Impose new responsibilities on Internet service providers and could also require consumer electronics and computer manufacturers to reconfigure their products.

~ Impose more severe criminal and civil penalties than permitted by the Copyright Act for identical behavior

This "anticounterfeiting" bill is a decoy; stand up for your rights
today! Subscribe to the EFF Action Center and send your member of Congress an email, letter or fax. You can take action by going to:

http://action.eff.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=2274