John Aravosis calls Gonzo's latest push a "thought-crimes" bill
and i don't think john is overstating one bit...
it was sent under the signature of richard hertling, principal deputy assistant attorney general, dated may 14, to nancy pelosi, and it's positively chilling in its implications...
it's called the intellectual property protection act of 2007 [pdf] and for the low, LOW price of surrendering the LAST of your civil liberties,
HE-E-E-ERE'S WHAT YOU GET...! take it AW-A-A-A-AY, GONZO...!
you MUST be joking... this opens the door for the arrest of 2/3 of the population of the united states... our government spymasters will be sweeping the internet, snatching up anyone and everyone for "attempting" or "intending" to commit copyright violation, confiscating their computers permanently, and perhaps throwing people in jail for the rest of their lives... how seriously screwed-up has our government become to propose something like this...? i'm speechless...
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it was sent under the signature of richard hertling, principal deputy assistant attorney general, dated may 14, to nancy pelosi, and it's positively chilling in its implications...
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is pressing the U.S. Congress to enact a sweeping intellectual property bill that would increase criminal penalties for copyright infringement, including "attempts" to commit piracy.
it's called the intellectual property protection act of 2007 [pdf] and for the low, LOW price of surrendering the LAST of your civil liberties,
HE-E-E-ERE'S WHAT YOU GET...! take it AW-A-A-A-AY, GONZO...!
- Criminalize "attempting" to infringe copyright.*
- Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software.
- Permit more wiretaps for piracy investigations.
- Allow computers to be seized more readily.**
- Increase penalties for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's anticircumvention regulations.
- Add penalties for "intended" copyright crimes.
*The Justice Department's summary of the legislation says: "It is a general tenet of the criminal law that those who attempt to commit a crime but do not complete it are as morally culpable as those who succeed in doing so."
- Require Homeland Security to alert the Recording Industry Association of America.
**[P]roperty such as a PC "intended to be used in any manner" to commit a copyright crime would be subject to forfeiture, including civil asset forfeiture
you MUST be joking... this opens the door for the arrest of 2/3 of the population of the united states... our government spymasters will be sweeping the internet, snatching up anyone and everyone for "attempting" or "intending" to commit copyright violation, confiscating their computers permanently, and perhaps throwing people in jail for the rest of their lives... how seriously screwed-up has our government become to propose something like this...? i'm speechless...
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Congress, Department of Justice, Digital Millenium Copyright Act, Intellectual Property Protection Act, Nancy Pelosi, Richard Hertling, warrantless domestic wiretapping
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posted by profmarcus at
5/21/2007
