US Anti-Piracy Bill Increases Penalties for Copyright Infringement
According to a group of lawmakers, 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine is not a severe enough sentence for copyright infringement in the US. So, a new bill is proposed to strengthen civil and criminal intellectual property laws and increase penalties for offenders.
The “Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007″ not only proposes stiffer penalties, but also calls for an intellectual property office in the White House and similar divisions at the justice department.
“By providing additional resources for enforcement of intellectual property, we ensure that innovation and creativity will continue to prosper in our society,” House Judiciary Committee chairman Representative John Conyers said in a response.
The real problem isn’t so much about protecting the rights of the artist or innovation and creativity (does it even do that?), but about protecting the revenue stream for the big media companies. The people who actually create the movies and music often want their content to be shared.
MPAA chairman Dan Glickman couldn’t be happier with this new bill and in an official press release he states: “I believe that the American business community can speak in one voice today in support of these legislative efforts to protect intellectual property.” Continuing he said: “The MPAA looks forward to working with congressional leaders in the weeks to come.”
Not surprisingly, some of the supporters of the bill, such as Howard Berman, received thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the music and the movie industry. Yes, these anti-piracy politicians are funded by the MPAA and the RIAA. US democracy, what a great system!
