Senate passes bill to impose civil fines for illegal downloading
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate agreed to legislation Friday that would allow the Justice Department to use civil penalties to go after people who illegally share and download computer files over the Internet.
Under the legislation — called the Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation or PIRATE Act — the Justice Department would be able to file civil copyright infringement cases against people who wrongfully download or share computer files.
Under current law, the attorney general can only file criminal copyright infringement cases, which are more difficult to prove. Under the legislation, the Justice Department would be able to go after damages and restitution, without bringing criminal charges.
The bill passed on a voice vote without debate. It now goes to the House.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in April the difficulty of proving criminal cases has kept the Justice Department from prosecuting people who download and share files using peer-to-peer filesharing software.
“The PIRATE Act will ensure the Department of Justice will have the option to impose civil penalties against users of filesharing software who are breaking federal laws but may not warrant criminal prosecution,” Hatch said.
The Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, co-sponsored the legislation. He said in March the bill would “allow the government to bring its resources to bear on this immense problem, and to ensure that more creative works are made available online, that these works are more affordable and the people who work to bring them to us are paid for their efforts.”
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