James Delahunty
3 Sep 2004 18:10
A House of Representatives committee has scheduled a vote on bills related to Piracy and Spyware next week. The bills, which are the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act (PDEA) and the Internet Spyware Prevention Act (ISPA) are controversial. The Internet Spyware Prevention Act is backed by many politicians but the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act has come under fire from consumer groups. The Act would boost penalties for P2P piracy and increase federal police powers against Internet copyright infringement.
The Act would require the Federal Bureau of Investigation to develop a program to deter the public from committing acts of copyright infringement through the Internet and facilitate the sharing among law enforcement agencies, Internet service providers, and copyright owners of information concerning copyright infringement activities. It also directs the Attorney General to ensure that any unit in the Department of Justice responsible for investigating computer hacking or intellectual property crimes is assigned at least one support agent who has received training in the investigation and enforcement of such crimes.
Sources:
News.com
thomas.loc.gov