[TriLUG] (Slightly OT)New Bill in Congress would make file-swapping a felony

[Ken Mink]

But it's not just posting it on a web site or sharing copyrighted
material to a P2P network. If you were to store copyrighted material on
your machine, material you legally have, and that material was
accessible on a public network, you get five years and a $250,000 fine.
So your mother who doesn't have a firewall and screws up her Windows
shares configuration is now a felon. I think there is a problem there.

Also, let's put this in perspective, we're talking about making millions
of Americas felons for copying music and movies. Copyrighting is not a
God giving right. It is a privilege granted by the American people. When
you have people breaking the law in such a scale as is occurring now, it
is time to look at the law.

I am not against copyrighting as a principle, but I think the American
government is giving copyright holders way too much power and control
over their material. Fair Use as we know it is on it's way out. The
dissemination of ideas and the sharing of knowledge is basis for
cultural, intellectual, and technical advancement. The path we are on
now will so bring that advancement to a halt.

Ken

On Thu, 2003-07-17 at 11:04, American Law Abider wrote:
> Oh, my gosh and can you believe that it is also a bill that if you 
> murder someone you can go to jail as well!!  Its called the law, and if 
> people would abide by it there would not be these bills passing around 
> in congress.  From what I read in the bill the posting *copyrighted* 
> material is against the law.  So based on your rationale, it would be 
> legal to "share" material, so I am going to borrow some cars from CarMax 
> and leave them on the side of the road for everyone to use at.  hmmm, 
> that sounds like the same theory of file sharing.  Maybe, I am reading 
> the wrong bill, but copyright is the law and if you break that law by 
> posting it on the internet for everyone to use you should be punished.
> Regards,
> American Law Abider
> 
> prhodes at vdsinc.com wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> >There's a new bill floating around in Congress, which would make uploading
> >even ONE
> >file over a P2P network a federal felony... get this... punishable by FIVE
> >YEARS in
> >jail, and a $250,000 dollar fine.
> >
> >Holy draconian laws, batman!
> >
> >More details and discussion can be found at /.
> >http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/07/17/1250203
> >
> >Anybody who thinks this is stupid, please contact your congressional
> >representatives, and register your opposition to this nonsense....
> >
> >
> >Phillip Rhodes
> >Application Designer
> >Voice Data Solutions
> >919-571-4300 x225
> >prhodes at vdsinc.com
> >
> >Those who are willing to sacrifice essential liberties for a little order,
> >will
> >lose both and deserve neither. - Benjamin Franklin
> >
> >This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it.
> >
> >Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can
> >exercise
> >their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary
> >right to overthrow it.  - Abraham Lincoln
> >
> >No citizen shall be denied the right to bear arms, if as a last resort, to
> >protect themselves from tyranny in Government. - Thomas Jefferson
> >
> >  
> >
-- 
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."--Benjamin Franklin
" 'Necessity' is the plea for every infringement of human liberty; it
is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."--William Pitt 


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