Gonzales proposes new crime: "Attempted" copyright infringement

[elbales]

May 15, 2007 2:00 AM PDT
Gonzales proposes new crime: "Attempted" copyright infringement

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. ...

The IPPA would, for instance:

* Criminalize "attempting" to infringe copyright. Federal law currently punishes not-for-profit copyright infringement with between 1 and 10 years in prison, but there has to be actual infringement that takes place. The IPPA would eliminate that requirement. (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.")

* Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software. Anyone using counterfeit products who "recklessly causes or attempts to cause death" can be imprisoned for life. During a conference call, Justice Department officials gave the example of a hospital using pirated software instead of paying for it.

*boils*


WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE! JESUS!

I can't even address this calmly. I can't. Making it illegal to think about doing something illegal? You'd have THE ENTIRE FUCKING COUNTRY rotting in jail.

LIFE IMPRISONMENT for copyright infringement? Putting someone away for life in the same cell with a murderer, or a rapist, or-- And what the fuck is this "recklessly causes" blah blah blah? How can using pirated software cause death?

. . . And under the law Bush can fucking declare ANYONE an "enemy combatant" and ship them off to Gitmo. Yeah. You say things the Bush Administration doesn't like and suddenly you're declared a software pirate enemy combatant and you're gone. Your computer is seized, your family has no idea what the fuck happened, you aren't allowed to see a lawyer--

I. Cannot. Be calm about this.

You better all pray that this never gets enacted.

. . . I wonder what they're going to try to sneak through while everyone's having hissy fits over this insane idea?

Just. What. The Fuck.

*boils*
*goes off to write fucking EVERYONE*

 

Comments

[chicklet73.livejournal.com]

I...what? Is this a fucking joke? WHAT THE FUCK?

*head explodes*

[elbales]

Srsly.

[ladyniko.livejournal.com]

Well, the Dems are pushing for a no-confidence vote on him.

I want to see his ass booted to the curb along w/ Wolfowitz. :-p

[dmcdraws.livejournal.com]

It's the wave of the future - cyberpunk is here, sans the cyber but with plenty of the MegaCorp greed and corruption.

Sadly, prison construction is a booming industry... because we're building more all the time.