- WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Users
of internet peer-to-peer networks, already dodging lawsuits from the
recording
industry, could face up to three years in prison under a bill passed
Tuesday
by the U.S. House of Representatives.
-
- The House voted to enlist the government to a greater
degree in the entertainment industry's fight against those who trade copies
of its products over the internet.
-
- Federal agents would be directed to educate the public
about copyright rules and go after those who allow others to copy their
music collections through peer-to-peer networks like Kazaa and
Morpheus.
-
- Those who secretly videotape movies when they are shown
in theaters would also face prison sentences of up to three years under
the bill, which passed by voice vote.
-
- "The internet has revolutionized how Americans
locate
information, shop and communicate," said Texas Republican Rep. Lamar
Smith, a sponsor of the bill. "We must not let new internet
technologies
become a haven for criminals."
-
- The Senate approved a similar bill in June, but
differences
must be reconciled before President Bush signs it into law.
-
- The Motion Picture Association of America applauded the
bill's passage, while consumer groups, conservative groups and libraries
said it would radically broaden copyright law and drag the government into
a battle that should be handled by the entertainment industry.
-
- Movie studios and recording companies have pressed
Congress
to help them in their fight against file-trading networks and their
millions
of users.
-
- The recording industry says file trading is partly to
blame for a slump in CD sales, and movie studios have reacted with alarm
as blockbuster films appear online before they're even released in
theaters.
-
- The recording industry has sued more than 3,000
individuals
over the past year for copyright violations, but the Justice Department
so far has brought only a handful of cases against the heaviest
traffickers.
-
- The bill would train agents to investigate
intellectual-property
crimes and allow them to send warnings to users they suspect of copying
songs illegally. Those found to be sharing more than 1,000 copyright files
would face jail time.
-
- One provision of the bill is likely to anger Hollywood,
as it shields companies that edit out sex and violence from movies to make
them more "family friendly." Movie directors have sought to shut
down such companies in court.
-
- Copyright bills are likely to loom large in the waning
weeks of Congress. The Senate this week is expected to consider a measure
that would make it easier to sue peer-to-peer networks. The bill has drawn
spirited opposition from the technology industry.
-
- © Copyright 2004, Lycos, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
-
- http://wired.com/news/digiwood/
- 0,1412,65122,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6
|
