The new Drug War is the War on Piracy

[Dark_Angers]

The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008, or PRO IP Act, finally gathered the signature of President George W. Bush, and made it into law. The act, as we previously reported, has been criticized by both the US Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Commerce (DOC), but gathered support in the wake of economic troubles that have hit the US.
Title I of the bill, which allowed the DOJ to pursue civil copyright cases, was dropped by the senate when they passed the bill, with Richard Esguerra, spokesman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, noting that he was relieved that attorneys won’t become “pro bono personal lawyers for the content industry.” However, the objections of the DOC - that the creation of a ‘Copyright Czar’ would be an unconstitutional violation of Separation of Powers - went unopposed. Included in the bill is the issue of ‘civil forfeiture’, where articles can be seized and held if it is thought they are to be used in committing a crime, or infringement.
The unanimous passage of this bill is worrying, mainly because it shows a triumph for lobbying over facts, and how common sense can be easily overruled with enough money and influence. Claims that support the bill include spurious job creations from this bill, to money saved in the economy. “Counterfeiting and piracy costs the United States nearly $250 billion annually,” says the US Chamber of Commerce in a Reuters article, while others have more effectively broken down the figures and pointed out how they don’t make sense.
Yet, in a country on the brink of economic meltdown, a bill that is claimed to help the economy by creating jobs (and boost the economy by reducing those jobs and revenue claimed to be lost) seems like a good political move, regardless of how absurd and baseless the figures are. Dan Glickman of the MPAA certainly wants to play the economic card, saying: “At this critical time for our economy, it’s important to send a message that the jobs created and maintained by the protection of intellectual property is a national priority.”
The person filling this Copyright Czar role will, presumably, be in a similar position to that of the Drugs Czar, and will listen mainly to lobbyists and ’safe’ peer pressure. Just as in the case of narcotics, symptoms will be dealt with, and not causes. Targeting causes means targeting contributors, while targeting symptoms just means targeting voters, and there are millions of them. It also remains to be seen who will be given the role of Copyright Czar, but don’t be surprised if it’s a member of the MPAA/RIAA, although some might start pushing for Prof. Lessig, as happened when California’s 12th District lost its congressman. However, Prof. Lessig told TorrentFreak that he’s “not going to be an enforcement czar, and nor would I be wanted for that.”
Perhaps the worst aspect of the bill, though, is the extension of forfeiture. Already used extensively in drugs cases, it is often inappropriately applied. If drugs are found in someone’s home, and along with that comes a claim from a 3rd party (even if they were caught breaking into the home) that they were dealing, the home owner can have their house taken away, along with anything of value in it.
Although some may feel that forfeiture is an appropriate response to serious large scale drug dealing, those same draconian measures can now apply to copyright infringement cases. It can cause more expense and difficulty in defending cases when defendants have to prove in a separate court action, that the materials seized were not used for the actions claimed. Wikipedia indicates that 3 years, and $10,000 is the typical cost of fighting such cases. Public Knowledge opposes these forfeiture measures, with spokesman Art Brodsky saying: “Let’s suppose that there’s one computer in the house, and one person uses it for downloads and one for homework. The whole computer goes.”
The increase in powers and fines exacerbates an already bad situation. With the forfeiture laws, in theory they may be able to have equipment belonging to ISP’s seized (while the DMCA gives safe harbor for prosecution under infringement, it may not allow a defense under forfeiture) and that could be used as a club to beat ISPs into the role of copyright police – one that ISPs worldwide have been loathed to accept.
With the election just weeks away, perhaps our American readers might be interested in tracking who voted for t

http://torrentfreak.com/president-bu...ar-law-081014/


This is scary. The new war on drugs that will cost families thousands of dollars and waste precious government time. Think of every song you have downloaded online. Now think of downloading one song and having your computer taken and a $9000 fine. This is only the start of what could happen under the new act. Since when did we let lobby groups have a voice over the nations citizens. Citizens of the US rise up and vote everyone who voted in favor of this act out of office!!!

This act is hurting artist rather then helping them. The only people who want this to pass are record labels who take most of the money away from the artist.

This also goes beyond music piracy into all types of piracy, but will most likely be used by the RIAA and MPAA to prosecute people.

another article on the act http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...nt-gloats.html

[IGOTJOINTS4YA]

Pirated media is bad, in most cases those companies spent millions to make that media or get it advertised, and you steal it. That is just like any kind of theft, it is wrong.

good to them for enforcing copyright laws.

[Bigbrother]

This will for sure not happen, come on, your computer taken away and a 9000 doller fine?

[Cali Ounces]

Originally Posted by IGOTJOINTS4YA

Pirated media is bad, That is just like any kind of theft, it is wrong.

good to them for enforcing copyright laws.

If people could pay to watch shit when they want to, and not be forced to buy a tangible issue of the media
in discussion

there would be a lot less piracy.

[Salvial]

Originally Posted by IGOTJOINTS4YA

Pirated media is bad, in most cases those companies spent millions to make that media or get it advertised, and you steal it. That is just like any kind of theft, it is wrong.

good to them for enforcing copyright laws.

Fuck that. We live in a new age, record companies are becoming obsolete and outdated. This is their final grab at cash and power. This law is going to be misused extensively, you can be sure of that.

[Dark_Angers]

There is proof that music and movie sharing online actually helps artist and makers. A bigger audience means more merch sales and concerts. Artist and movies makes most of their profit from merch sales not the actual song or film.

[IGOTJOINTS4YA]

Originally Posted by Cali Ounces

If people could pay to watch shit when they want to, and not be forced to buy a tangible issue of the media
in discussion

there would be a lot less piracy.

Fuck pinball for neg repping me, but on to you cali.

I understand that piracy is not theft of the product, it is coping of the product.

What you are stealing are there profits by not buying there shit that they invested into, which is theft, and there is no way you can spin it that you are not stealing from them.

If you are ok with being able to have free media, that is fine, but when you steal from a company that has invested millions into a profit, you do nothing but help yourself out and do nothing but abuse the system.

I am all for free media via the internet, but the fact of the matter is, these are these people professions.

Piracy is theft, no matter what way you spin it, and if you approve of theft than ok, more power to you, I do not.

Piracy has probly done more hurt to the gaming industry, music industry and movie industry than anything else, in terms of them offering great content. In the last few years with the rise of piracy the quality of these products have not increased that much in my mind compared to previous times.

[Dark_Angers]

Originally Posted by Bigbrother

This will for sure not happen, come on, your computer taken away and a 9000 doller fine?

"Jammie Thomas, a woman who claims she has never downloaded music, was found to have violated copyright and the court ordered her to pay the RIAA 220,000 or $9,250 for each of the 24 songs the RIAA claims she pirated."

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/riaa-wins.html

well documented case look it up. The judge ended up declaring the fine excessive, but not after many battles, and the case is still not finished.

the taking of the computer comes into play with this new act.

[arcadianskies77]

At the end of the quoted material it makes it seem like McCain or Obama voted for it, but one or the other. Which is it?

[aaronman]

Originally Posted by arcadianskies77

At the end of the quoted material it makes it seem like McCain or Obama voted for it, but one or the other. Which is it?

Senate votes weren't recorded...

[SaintLs]

Originally Posted by Cali Ounces

If people could pay to watch shit when they want to, and not be forced to buy a tangible issue of the media
in discussion

there would be a lot less piracy.

agreed.

I heard somewhere that artists still get credit for downloaded material too...http://torrentfreak.com/why-most-art...t-from-piracy/

payin 20 bucks for a cd when you can spend 20 bucks on blank ones and have 50 new cds instead.

its like trying to keep people from digging for gold in their back yards....it aint gunna happen.

I am one of the few that doesnt run around selling my pirated shit tho. I keep everything in multiple cd cases.

[SaintLs]

Originally Posted by Dark_Angers

"Jammie Thomas, a woman who claims she has never downloaded music, was found to have violated copyright and the court ordered her to pay the RIAA 220,000 or $9,250 for each of the 24 songs the RIAA claims she pirated."

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/riaa-wins.html

well documented case look it up. The judge ended up declaring the fine excessive, but not after many battles, and the case is still not finished.

the taking of the computer comes into play with this new act.

how are people gettn busted for 24 songs?

I download 24 albums a day....


I DID hear seeding torrents is what can get you busted fast

[texas_virus]

Originally Posted by SaintLs

I heard somewhere that artists still get credit for downloaded material too...

what?? how is that even possible

[IGOTJOINTS4YA]

Originally Posted by SaintLs

THANK YOU

I pirate all day long, fuck them jabronis. I heard somewhere that artists still get credit for downloaded material too...

http://torrentfreak.com/why-most-artists-profit-from-piracy/

Fuck payin 20 bucks for a cd when you can spend 20 bucks on blank ones and have 50 new cds instead.

its like trying to keep people from digging for gold in their back yards....it aint gunna happen.

I am one of the few that doesnt run around selling my pirated shit tho. I keep everything in multiple cd cases.

the fact of the matter is they made the product, and they are allowed to dictate whatever they want, just because it inconvienences you does not make it right.

If bands really did profit from pirating, you would not see all the lawsuits pending by musicians and record companies.

[fAKdded]

I think the internet is under threat of being re-structured or regulated for control.