The United States Senate is about to pass a new copyright bill that would turn everyday Americans into criminals. This report is not a joke: it's about HR2391, the intellectual property protection act. Keep reading to learn how your consumer rights are under intense attack, and then forward this to your friends to help spread the word. Because if this bill isn't stopped, you could technically be thrown in prison for burning an audio CD and copying the files to your favorite MP3 player.
This bill is, of course, promoted by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is being pushed through the Senate by their favorite Senator: Orrin Hatch from Utah. According to a wired News article, here are some of the things the bill would criminalize:
Anyone who uses the iTunes music sharing application could be charged with federal crimes and imprisoned. It would make it a criminal offense to skip television commercials -- because, of course, the broadcast networks want to force consumers to watch all advertisements by criminalizing people who skip ads. People who bring video cameras into movie theaters could wind up spending three years in prison for federal crimes. The bill would even allow the Justice Department to file civil copyright lawsuits on behalf of the recording industry, meaning that you can have the Justice Department at your door for something as simple as copying a few MP3 files for a friend.
Fair Use would also be destroyed. Artists wouldn't be able to use images of President Bush's face in funny flash animations, for example. Publishers would not be able to use a company logo in an article that makes fun of that company. And individuals would be denied the right to quote passages from articles, books, or magazines that deserve public comment. All such uses would be considered criminal and could earn you federal prosecution.
If this Senate bill passes, it will transform virtually every young American into a criminal, and at that point it will be up to the music industry and recording industry to decide who they want to imprisoned today. With every person defined as a criminal, it all comes down to "selective prosecution," where the industry targets anyone they want, because everybody is now technically a criminal.
These laws should never exist in a free society. These are the laws of a police state... one that seems to be ever more quickly creeping up on Americans in the post-9/11 era.
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About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams launched NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds.
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Tuesday, November 16, 2004
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