Users of Internet “peer to peer” networks, already dodging lawsuits from the recording industry, could face up to three years in prison under a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The House voted to enlist the government to a greater degree in the entertainment industry’s fight against those who copy its products over the Internet.
Federal agents would be directed to educate the public about copyright rules and go after those who allow others to copy their music collections through “peer to peer” networks like Kazaa and Morpheus.
Those who secretly videotape movies when they are shown in theaters would also face prison sentences of up to three years under the bill, which passed by voice vote.
“The Internet has revolutionized how Americans locate information, shop and communicate,” said Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith (news, bio, voting record), a sponsor of the bill. “We must not let new Internet technologies become a haven for criminals.”
The Senate approved a similar bill in June, but differences must be reconciled before President Bush (news – web sites) signs it into law.
The Motion Picture Association of America applauded the bill’s passage, while consumer groups, conservative groups and libraries said it would radically broaden copyright law and drag the government into a battle that should be handled by the entertainment industry.
Movie studios and recording companies have pressed Congress to help them in their fight against file-trading networks and their millions of users.
The recording industry says file-trading is partly to blame for a slump in CD sales, and movie studios have reacted with alarm as blockbuster films appear online before they’re even released in theaters.
Related Posts
- Bill Would Put Internet Song Swappers in Jail
- House OKs Family Copyright Bill
- Pay, Don’t Sue, Song-Swappers, Trade Group Urges
- Copyright Bill Dies in Senate as Others Advance
- Bush signs law targeting P2P pirates
Loading ...
