US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is proposing a new bill that would “increase criminal penalties for copyright infringement, including “attempts” to commit piracy.” [link]
Apparently the Bush administration is supporting the bill which is entitled the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007 [link to pdf of the bill]. Naturally, the intellectual property laws are aimed at protecting big music and movie industries.
Here are some of the proposed measures in the law:
- 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.
- Create a new crime of life imprisonment for using pirated software.
- Permit more wiretaps for piracy investigations.
- Allow computers to be seized more readily.
What’s next? criminialize ‘attempted thinking’?