US to create "Copyright Cops", confiscate your PC

[Bob Hubbard]

Welcome to the USRIAA.

"In particular, the bill grants this new agency the right to seize any computer or network hardware used to "facilitate" a copyright crime and auction it off. You would not need to be found guilty at trial to face this penalty."

I love it. Constitution? What's that? Oh yeah, soft and absorbent it seems.

Your Rights Online: Congress Creates Copyright Cops 2007-12-07 07:44

Posted by Zonk on Friday December 07, @07:44AM
from the story-you-are-about-to-see-is-a-fib-but-its-short dept.

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Not satisfied with pitiful potential penalties of $150,000 for infringing upon a $0.99 song, Congress is proposing new copyright cops in the "'PRO IP' Act of 2007, specifically the creation of the Office of the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative (USIPER). They also feel that the authorities need the authority to seize any computers used for infringement and to send copyright cops abroad to help other countries enforce US laws. MPAA boss Dan Glickman praised the bill saying that, 'films left costs foreign and domestic distributors, retailers and others $18 billion a year,' though Ars points out that it allegedly costs the studios only $6 billion."

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Your Rights Online: Copy That Floppy, Lose Your Computer



Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday December 10, @11:09AM
from the god-bless-america-land-of-the-super-corporation dept.

Over the weekend we posted a story about a new copyright bill that creates a new govt. agency in charge of copyright enforcement. Kevin Way writes "In particular, the bill grants this new agency the right to seize any computer or network hardware used to "facilitate" a copyright crime and auction it off. You would not need to be found guilty at trial to face this penalty. You may want to read a justification of it, and criticism presented by Declan McCullagh and Public Knowledge." Lots of good followup there on a really crazy development.

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[Xue Sheng]

I know of at least one government agency that could possibly loose just about all its equipment then.

 

[MarkBarlow]

Just goes to show the importance of having a deep-pockets lobby in Washington. Contribute enough to the right folks and you too can have an entire gov't agency created to protect your investment. Of course, the rest of us can just count on the ever so helpful Justice Department to protect our rights and livelihoods.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I know of at least one government agency that could possibly loose just about all its equipment then.

I suspect that they will be "immune" from penalty like most government agencies.

Just goes to show the importance of having a deep-pockets lobby in Washington. Contribute enough to the right folks and you too can have an entire gov't agency created to protect your investment. Of course, the rest of us can just count on the ever so helpful Justice Department to protect our rights and livelihoods.

Yup. Year after year, our rights are slowly eroded, and the Special Interests gain more and more control.

Hell, US antivirus companies like Symantic and McAfee won't check for certain backdoor tools that the FBI uses since they are the "good guys". (See Carnivore) Now that's caving to me.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I suspect that they will be "immune" from penalty like most government agencies.

Pretty much my point, the enforcer here are likely as guilty or more so than the enforcee.

 

[newGuy12]

Of course, the rest of us can just count on the ever so helpful Justice Department to protect our rights and livelihoods.

Haha
Haha
Haha
Haha

Hell, US antivirus companies like Symantic and McAfee won't check for certain backdoor tools that the FBI uses since they are the "good guys". (See Carnivore) Now that's caving to me.

That's why I use peer-reviewed code. The rest will get what they deserve!

 

[Empty Hands]

As in so many other things, the War on Drugs has paved the way for this execrable law with the seizure and forfeiture without trial laws for property involved in drug crimes.

 

[CoryKS]

Well I, for one, am ecstatic to learn that my government has eradicated poverty, crime and AIDS and has a little extra time and money on their hands to tackle this new threat!!!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Well I, for one, am ecstatic to learn that my government has eradicated poverty, crime and AIDS and has a little extra time and money on their hands to tackle this new threat!!!

Don't forget hunger and their great success in stopping terrorism, with all that accomplished that just have tons of time on their hands to go after copy write issues on people’s PC.

So as the swat team kicks in the door to confiscate little Billy’s PC because he copied Mickey Mouse from the Disney site we can at least all sleep better knowing that this threat has been taken care of.

 

[tellner]

Remember back during the Reagan Administration? Civil forfeiture was for "Drug Kingpins" who were too wealthy and powerful to be convicted. It was supposed to be a last ditch effort to punish the immune. At the time I ranted, raved and frothed at the mouth because this was precisely where it would lead.

I freakin' hate being right, but when I assume the worst about people with power it happens almost all the time :bird:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I think part of it is also being 7 years into the reign of a "wouldbe king" and his "court" who care little for civil liberties, dance to the whim of lobbiests and their cash, and feel immune to punishment due to their connections.

 

[newGuy12]

I think part of it is also being 7 years into the reign of a "wouldbe king" and his "court" who care little for civil liberties, dance to the whim of lobbiests and their cash, and feel immune to punishment due to their connections.

Yes, I would think that would definitely play a part here.

 

[Steel Tiger]

There are a few things about this that struck me.

The first is that now that they think they have the US constitution down they are going to give it a damned good kicking. This appears to be law enforcement by theft. Afterall, nobody can commit property theft if they don't have the equipment.

You just know that if this legislation comes into play the very people who lobbied for it will be the first to complain, and blame the government, when their products fail to sell as part of the backlash.

If there is one thing that has truly tarnished the US's image on the world stage it is this:

...to send copyright cops abroad to help other countries enforce US laws.

Us laws do not apply in other countries they have their own laws, including laws about copyright infringement (they might be completely limp, but they exist). This is the sort of arrogance that really sets people's teeth on edge. The rest of the world is not the United States. My government does not expect Australian law to apply in the US why should the US government expect the reverse be true.

Jst had to get that out as its something that really grates on me. We have had a number of people gaoled in Indonesia for drug trafficking, and the amount of whining we have had to endure about how our citizens should somehow not be subject to Indonesian law has been ridiculous. Fortunately the government stuck to its guns and did not try to influence the Indonesian legal system.


The last thing I noticed is a little strange. The United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative or USIPER for short. USIPER is awfully closer to usurper. Just something strange that I noticed.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Us laws do not apply in other countries they have their own laws, including laws about copyright infringement (they might be completely limp, but they exist). This is the sort of arrogance that really sets people's teeth on edge. The rest of the world is not the United States. My government does not expect Australian law to apply in the US why should the US government expect the reverse be true.

Jst had to get that out as its something that really grates on me. We have had a number of people gaoled in Indonesia for drug trafficking, and the amount of whining we have had to endure about how our citizens should somehow not be subject to Indonesian law has been ridiculous. Fortunately the government stuck to its guns and did not try to influence the Indonesian legal system.


The last thing I noticed is a little strange. The United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative or USIPER for short. USIPER is awfully closer to usurper. Just something strange that I noticed.

OH yes I see this going over REAL big with Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin. Ole George's Copyright cops rolling into China and Russia to confiscate Computers.

 

[Rich Parsons]

OH yes I see this going over REAL big with Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin. Ole George's Copyright cops rolling into China and Russia to confiscate Computers.

I saw a show about the Secret Service who also investigate conterfiting. They went after Video production. What they found was that as soon as the latest security was added, the criminals had it as well. It was beyond their imagination. So while investigating some Chinese manufacturers for inside leakage of confidential processes, one of the guys was on a bus in China and was able to see a video of a movie that was not released to the US public in the theaters yet. OOOPS! He asked to see it. The bus driver said people were watching it so he paid him $20 USD to buy it. He got it. The driver laughed and said in this market area over here you could have gotten 4 or more copies for that price.

The manufacturer of the media ran first shift for the producers of the movies. They ran second shift for themselves, to sell in all the markets besides North America.

****

No wonder why the fakes looked just like the originals, because they came off the same manufacturing line.

Now as to the bill being proposed. I dislike it. I know that the IRS had its' Powers reduced a lot for abuse of confiscation during investigations. I would assume that this would need to have the same balances as the others agencies of the government.

****

I too wonder at the fact that Detroit being number one and Flint being Number three in violent and dangerous cites, why a Michigan Representative would be more concerned about copy right versus the safety of the people in the state. Of course it was answered here by the reference of lobbies and the monies they throw around.

****

I really wonder how this will work now. I have an older PC that I bought with XP and it was one of those where it was loaded and no disk supplied with it. (* Last time I order over the internet this way *) So, is my version legal, or was it an improper usage of a site license/copy versus individual license? So now am I at risk even though everthing else I own I have the disk for it. I mean I cannot prove I own a license for the operating software.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I saw a show about the Secret Service who also investigate conterfiting. They went after Video production. What they found was that as soon as the latest security was added, the criminals had it as well. It was beyond their imagination. So while investigating some Chinese manufacturers for inside leakage of confidential processes, one of the guys was on a bus in China and was able to see a video of a movie that was not released to the US public in the theaters yet. OOOPS! He asked to see it. The bus driver said people were watching it so he paid him $20 USD to buy it. He got it. The driver laughed and said in this market area over here you could have gotten 4 or more copies for that price. .

I was in a department store in Beijing, a department store 7 stories hight the size of a city block, and they had all sorts of films that had not yet been released in the USA for sale rather cheap.

And there are a lot of bootleg copies of Windows various OS(s) all over the place.

 

[Empty Hands]

I think part of it is also being 7 years into the reign of a "wouldbe king" and his "court" who care little for civil liberties, dance to the whim of lobbiests and their cash, and feel immune to punishment due to their connections.

While there is no love lost between George and myself, I have to disagree. These laws have been a long time in coming, and they started long before 43 got elected. Many of them were also enacted at the state, not federal level.

For instance, a reform bill was introduced in 1997 in an attempt to curb then-apparent abuses of the forfeiture process.
http://www.criminaljustice.org/TESTIFY/test0015.htm

The clear logic was established long ago, and the "mission creep" was inevitable. They would have gotten to copyright sooner or later irrespective of the occupant of the White House. It also doesn't help that government and law enforcement have a clear interest in preserving and extending the status quo; seizure helps fund a lot of departments, and the US Marshals alone are responsible for disposing of $1 billion dollars worth of property. Think they will give it up without a fight?

 

[Empty Hands]

Us laws do not apply in other countries they have their own laws, including laws about copyright infringement (they might be completely limp, but they exist). This is the sort of arrogance that really sets people's teeth on edge.

While I appreciate the sentiment, there are broad agreements governing international copyright standards. Ever notice that red screen from INTERPOL at the start of your movies?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#International_treaties

 

[Doc_Jude]

"US to create "Copyright Cops", confiscate your PC"


I'm okay, then, since I have a Mac, right? ^_^
This is Bulldoodoodookie

 

[Steel Tiger]

While I appreciate the sentiment, there are broad agreements governing international copyright standards. Ever notice that red screen from INTERPOL at the start of your movies?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#International_treaties

That's a fair point. But it is also what INTERPOL is for. To liaise between different law enforcement agencies on matters like this. There is no need for yet another group with police powers and a narrow field of interest.

As much as I am annoyed by the suggestion that US laws might be enforced in other countries, I am sure that the true impact of this legislation will be felt in the US. The big offenders in China, Southeast Asia, and Russia just won't care, but I am sure that poor old John Citizen is going to suffer. I think that Rich has voiced a concerned that may really create some problems. People who have legitimately purchased goods but cannot prove the legality of the product.