Making a connection between online file trading and child exploitation, key Democratic and Republican senators are backing a bill that would effectively ban peer-to-peer networks where copyright infringement takes place.
Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a Republican of Utah, sought to dispel some of the early criticisms of his proposal, saying in a statement distributed late Tuesday that a new version of his bill reflects only modest changes and would not affect Internet service providers’ legal rights or Americans’ abilities to make “fair use” of copyrighted works.
Instead, he said, the legislation focuses on putting an end to illegal activity on the Internet.
“In the film ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,’ the leering ‘Child Catcher’ lured children into danger with false promises of ‘free lollipops,’” Hatch said in a floor speech touting his bill. “Tragically, some corporations now seem to think that they can legally profit by inducing children to steal, that they can legally lure children and others with false promises of ‘free music.’”
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