Congress takes aim yet again at P2P users, film at 11 [ip]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Copy of PDEA:
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/pdf/ne/2004/pdea2004.pdf

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http://news.com.com/2100-1028-5182898.html

House panel approves copyright bill
March 31, 2004, 4:55 PM PST
By Declan McCullagh

A House of Representatives panel has approved a sweeping new copyright 
bill that would boost penalties for peer-to-peer piracy and increase 
federal police powers against Internet copyright infringement.

The House Judiciary intellectual property subcommittee voted for the 
"Piracy Deterrence and Education Act" (PDEA) late Wednesday, overruling 
objections from a minority of members that it would unreasonably expand 
the FBI's powers to demand private information from Internet service 
providers.

The PDEA--the result of intense lobbying from large copyright holders 
over the past six months--has emerged as a kind of grab-bag that 
combines other proposals unsuccessfully advanced in the past. One 
section that first surfaced last year punishes an Internet user who 
makes available $1,000 in copyrighted materials with prison terms of up 
to three years and fines of up to $250,000. If the PDEA became law, 
prosecutors would not have to prove that $1,000 in copyrighted materials 
were downloaded--they would need only to show that those files had been 
publicly accessible in a shared folder.

One part of the PDEA that did not appear in earlier bills would require 
the FBI to "facilitate the sharing" of information among Internet 
providers, copyright holders and police.

"I am sure (that its sponsor) does not mean to expand the powers of the 
FBI," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said during the subcommittee hearing. 
"The concern I have is that this is very ambiguous. The language itself 
could lead an aggressive FBI to a different conclusion." Lofgren's 
attempt to amend the PDEA failed by a 4-14 vote.

[...remainder snipped...]
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