CricketMX.com

This sounds rather draconian and undemocratic

http://news.com.com/Antipiracy+bill+tar ... ?tag=st.rn

A forthcoming bill in the U.S. Senate would, if passed, dramatically reshape copyright law by prohibiting file-trading networks and some consumer electronics devices on the grounds that they could be used for unlawful purposes

Hmm ipods and Vcrs illegal , talk about shoot yourself in the foot This act was originally framed to stop child pornography but it has been hijacked by big buisiness to line their greedy pockets
America would suffer a technology exodus if this overbroad act was somehow passed .

Luckily that's rather old news and has already failed.

The Washington Post wrote:... The copyright package is almost a consolation prize for the entertainment industry, which spent much of this year urging Congress to pass the Induce Act, an attempt to drive song-swapping networks out of business by exposing them to monetary damages for inducing people to illegally share files.

The Induce Act failed after a broad group of free-speech advocates, technology companies and Internet service providers complained that the measure could inadvertently target popular, legal devices like the iPod.

Well spotted Rat ( One of the dangers of so many web pages )
I was genuinely concerned nevertheless and wondered how a country such as the US could even contemplate such a thing.

Well it aint over till the fat lady sings boys........

Anti-P2P bill may slip past legislative rush
Published: November 18, 2004, 1:35 PM PST

Marybeth Peters, the U.S. register of copyrights, told a conference here that the so-called Induce Act would not be part of the slew of legislation--including key spending measures--that Congress is expected to vote on before leaving for next week's Thanksgiving holiday.

Still sounds like it wont pass congress but.... Thats not all thier tricks either

Peters also said that an unrelated huge copyright bill, called the Intellectual Property Protection Act (IPPA), had even odds of being enacted before Congress left town.

The IPPA effectively bundles together a collection of bills, many of which either the House or the Senate have already approved. Some sections, for instance, authorize federal prosecutors to file civil lawsuits against file swappers, while others make it easier to launch criminal prosecutions against peer-to-peer users who are infringing copyrighted material.

Us americans better keep an eye on this as well...

http://news.com.com/Anti-P2P+bill+may+s ... tag=cd.top

ProgRocker is a lawyer and a regular poster over at Filebreech.... This is a new post from him:

ProgRocker wrote:Senate passes pared-down copyright bill.
The controversial IPPA, a loosely-bundled collection of copyright bills, has passed the Senate, minus some of the more frightening provisions. The measure was passed after the Pirate Act component was removed. The Pirate Act provisions would have given the U.S. Attorney General millions of dollars and vast resources to file civil actions against file-sharers. Also removed was the language that would have removed the "willfulness" requirement from criminal actions. Had that language passed, a person sharing 1000 or more songs, even if unwillfully, would be subject to possible prosecution.

While I would have much preferred that no copyright bill be passed, this at least has the serious parts removed. That comes as some relief.

Cheers.

If you Download what you allready own the legal property rights to...

So if like me you bought CDs 20 years ago they suffer from decay,
and unless the record companies are willing to replace your old ones for new ones
why not replace it yourself on-line
- they did promote them as 'lasting forever'...'cover them with marmalade and they still work etc..
Hey you're legally allowed to back up Cd's anyway...thats copying.

And sharing.... well when you buy a drink cant you share it with some one, or is Coca-Cola gunna sue me for loss of earning they could have otherwise made from the person you share with.

If these companies did not exploit the Artists and were more consumer friendly, like offering to replace damaged Cds etc.. then this 'problem' would never have started.

People are more inclined to buy the 'Original'..Its nice...nice pictures, looks good in the living room. But my CD collection has been depleted over the years, damage loss, stolen, and i'm very reluctant to replace what i, in my opinion already own the property rights to. I',m begining to find this with DVDs to..minor skipping and corruption to the digital quality.....
I throw down the gauntlet......Cds are SSOOOO cheap to make, Record Companies replace old ones.....for FREE.

How would you prove that you bought the ones you have? [You could have stolen them, been given them, won them etc.] How could you prove you ever owned the ones which have been lost or stolen? [Do you keep receipts?]
It's a nice idea but not very practical. They'd argue with every last case.

you can prove that you own them without any doubt at all...

"my mate bob from down the road will tell you i bought it ages ago"