Jari Ketola
16 Nov 2004 16:42
The US Senate may be voting on the Intellectual Property Protection Act (IPPA) this week. The bill combines aspects of several proposed copyright and piracy acts, and has raised concerns in several groups.
The bill, if passed, would make many P2P users, and digital consumer devices criminally liable for copyright infringement. While skipping "offending" content on DVDs would be permitted, devices that would skip forced advertisements on DVDs would be illegal. Especially Disney has excelled in putting 30 minutes of trailers and advertisements on their DVDs.
Additionally the IPPA would permit, or rather obligate the Department of Justice to file civil lawsuits against suspected pirates. Bringing a video camera into a movie theater with the intent to tape the movie could lead to a three year imprisonment, fines or both.
The entertainment industry, RIAA and MPAA both feel that the proposal has many aspects that are essential for the survival of the industry.
The groups that oppose the act fear that it might be pushed through in a lame-duck session this week. They are calling for the Senate to postpone the consideration of the bill until there's enough time for proper hearings and debate.
Source: Wired