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Identify Yourself!
California piracy bill moves forward
An MPAA backed bill that requires users to include their name and address with any copyrighted audio-visual file they transfer has been approved by the California's Assembly Arts and Entertainment Committee. Violation of the bill, pushed by Democratic Senator Kevin Murray, would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2500 and/or up to one year in prison. Murray "continues to be our champion on these issues," says one MPAA spokesman. The EFF earlier this year noted that not only was the bill intrusive, but it violated children protection laws preventing kids from offering personal information on-line without a parent's consent.

Most recommended from 108 comments



2kmaro
Think

join:2000-07-11
Oklahoma City, OK

5 recommendations

2kmaro

I Just Couldn't Help Myself

Since the good Senator has email feedback at his site, how could I not take advantage of it to drop him this message (some minor omissions for my own privacy) :

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Senator Murray,
First let me state that I am a .... and a professional programmer.

Second let me state that having dealt in several areas with copyrighted materials (my own program code, numerous writings of various types, and my association with ... - a professional watercolor artist) that I in no way condone copyright infringement - copying to distribute is clearly against the law.

However, it would appear that either someone has you seriously hoodwinked or has well-lined your pockets, I'll let you be the judge of that.

The MPAA and the RIAA must both be made to see the light that they have had to be forced to see before: that they must revise their business model in order to survive in today's digital world. Were not these very same groups the ones who shouted loudest and most painfully when the VCR was introduced? Did they not want it outlawed?

That same battle is being waged again, with the million$ available to those organizations stacked up against the individual California and American citizens.

I would love to discuss many issues at length, but do not wish to take up too much of your time.

Suffice it to say that laws such as the DMCA with its infringment of copyright Fair Use through its restrictions regarding 'circumventing' copy protection technology such as DVD CSS encryption and your recent effort to require anyone transferring copyrighted material to reveal their name are simply serving BIG INDUSTRY and BIG MONEY. I thought you and other elected officials were there to serve those that elected you, not those that donated heavily to your campaign. Sorry, I thought the American way might actually work once in a while.

BTW: how does the requirement to attach name and other identifying information fit in with the protection of minor's protections under current laws?

Also, anyone with any real technical saavy will inform you, if you will simply ask them, that forging such information on the internet is as easy as 1-2-3, perhaps easier. So you've managed to push through yet another law that will simply put innocents at risk while the serious offenders will hide behind commandeered computers, forged message headers and routing information, and in general laugh at yet another broadside fired into thin air.

Glad I'm not a California resident who might have somehow accidentally voted for you, for I would be sorely disappointed at this juncture in your career.
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FDisk
O.O?
join:2003-08-18
Israel

4 edits

2 recommendations

FDisk

Member

DUH !

Let's face it! MPAA, RIAA, The Entertainment Committee knows Diddley Sh*t about how computers work, how the internet works and I bet their VCR's are doing this for 25 years already.

That's why they trying to force those stupid never working and never will be working laws.
And the 70 year old geezers at the committee that don't know where the hell is the
"Enter" key located swallow every word of it just to cover their own ass.

Wake up! Get real! Get over it!