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  • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23 2004 12:00 PM

Skip a Commercial, Go To Jail?

Submitted by s5

Edited by legionnaire

If the current Republican congress gets their way, that's exactly what will happen.

Do you like fast-forwarding through commercials on a television program you’ve recorded? How much do you like it? Enough to go to jail if you’re caught doing it? If a new copyright and intellectual property omnibus bill sitting on Congress’s desk passes, that may be the choice you'll face.

How can this be possible? Because language that makes fast-forwarding through commercials illegal—no doubt inserted at the behest of lobbyists for the advertising industry—was inserted into a bill that would allow people to fast forward past objectionable sections of a recorded movie (and I bet you already thought that was OK). And that’s but one, albeit scary, scenario that may come to pass if the Intellectual Property Protection Act is enacted into law. Deliberations on this legislation will be one of the tasks for the lame-duck Congress that commenced this week.

[...]

Here’s more of what’s included: a provision that would make it a felony to record a movie in a theater for future distribution on a peer-to-peer network. IPPA would also criminalize the currently legal act of using the sharing capacity of iTunes, Apple’s popular music software program; the legislation equates that act with the indiscriminate file sharing on popular peer-to-peer programs. Currently, with iTunes, users can opt to share a playlist with others on their network. IPPA doesn’t differentiate this innocuous—and Apple sanctioned—act from the promiscuous sharing that happens when someone makes a music collection available to five million strangers on Kazaa or Grokster.


This bill is shameful. Crippling software does absolutely nothing to serve the public interest. Politicians who threaten citizens sitting in their living room with jail time to pander to the RIAA and MPAA's war on technology should expect to be sent home during the next election.

Americans might disagree on abortion or guns or health care. But fuck with our tv and expect riots.

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Comments
PointBlank

PointBlank

New York, NY
November 2004

NOV 23, 2004 12:02 PM

Edit Preferences:

view art
view ads




[Edited on Nov 23, 2004 by Point_Blank]

JaiDee

JaiDee

SUICIDEGIRL

New York, USA

NOV 23, 2004 12:04 PM

huh??????? how would they know??? and what if it's old movies where the commercials don't even count. this is weird.

Dunx

dunx

San Antonio, TX
July 2003

NOV 23, 2004 12:11 PM

I don't even know how to respond to the one.

Kayla

Kayla

Dublin, CA
June 2003

NOV 23, 2004 12:13 PM

JaiDee said:
huh??????? how would they know??? and what if it's old movies where the commercials don't even count. this is weird.




Duh, Jaidee they are goigg to send robots into your house that monitor your television viewing patterns.

robot

Keith

Keith

Oklahoma City, OK
August 2002

NOV 23, 2004 12:16 PM

What if I find commercials "objectionable"?

MisterGraves

MisterGraves

Portland, OR
November 2003

NOV 23, 2004 12:17 PM

Will the revolution be televised?

MemmnochtheDevil

MemmnochtheDevil

I'm lost
November 2002

NOV 23, 2004 12:17 PM

Kayla said:

JaiDee said:
huh??????? how would they know??? and what if it's old movies where the commercials don't even count. this is weird.




Duh, Jaidee they are goigg to send robots into your house that monitor your television viewing patterns.

robot



Ha ha dude they are. Shit I can't find the link but I know I read about how the Fed Gov has technology in printers now to monitor document activities...They say its for counterfeit tracking purposes but.....its scary how much the government has invaided the home now....I thought GOP were for smaller unintrusive governments! Shit is getting closer and closer to facsim by the minute

ARRR!!!

Keith

Keith

Oklahoma City, OK
August 2002

NOV 23, 2004 12:17 PM

And I would love to be the first person arrested for this offense, just so I can have my own Supreme Court case: Daniels v United States. Even Scalia would bitchslap this shit down.

anonymouse

anonymouse

Miami Beach, FL
OLD SKOOL

NOV 23, 2004 12:17 PM


with Senator Orrin Hatch—a very Hollywood-friendly pol—on his way out as the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to be replaced possibly by Arlen Specter, many in the Hollywood community see this as an important, last chance to get their demands made into law.



Man, I hope so. I like Arlen Specter.

This is so stupid. That Lamisil commercial with the fungus monster lifting up some dude's toenail is objectionable to me.

[Edited on Nov 23, 2004 by anonymouse4Kerry]

Doghouse_Reilly

doghouse_reilly

I'm lost
February 2004

NOV 23, 2004 12:18 PM

When they outlaw fastforwarding only outlaws will fastforward.

Keith

Keith

Oklahoma City, OK
August 2002

NOV 23, 2004 12:19 PM

They can take my clicker from my cold. dead. hands.

luckyride

luckyride

Portland, OR
May 2003

NOV 23, 2004 12:22 PM

mad that would be horrible policy mad


Fuck them. Fuck them so hard with no lube.

smithers_jones

smithers_jones

I'm lost
November 2003

NOV 23, 2004 12:27 PM

Another victory for those small government* conservatives.

*Some restrictions apply. "Small government" is not intended to imply a reduction in the size of the government, the role of government in people's lives or an endorsement of civil liberties. The size of the government and the role of government in people's live may increase.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

NOV 23, 2004 12:28 PM

JaiDee said:
huh??????? how would they know??? and what if it's old movies where the commercials don't even count. this is weird.



Tivo.

anonymouse

anonymouse

Miami Beach, FL
OLD SKOOL

NOV 23, 2004 12:31 PM

They can take way DVRs... but what about VCRs? You can still fastforward through crap you recorded on VCR. They're going to take away the fast-forward button on VCRs, too?

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