EFF on the Digital Millennium Anti-Connectivity Act

(AKA the ACCOPS Act of 2003.  What that acronym stands for is not worth
repeating.  I like "The Digital Millennium Anti-Connectivity Act."  -- Seth)


> http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/20030717_eff_pr.php


For Immediate Release: Thursday, July 17, 2003

Misguided "Anti-Piracy" Bill Introduced in Congress

Would Criminalize 60 Million Sharing Files in the U.S.

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Advisory


San Francisco - Members of the U.S. Congress yesterday introduced the
Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act of
2003, targeting for criminal prosecution the 60 million Americans engaged in
Internet file sharing of music and movies. 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today criticized the measure as an
overbroad and misguided attack on peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing
technology. 

"More Americans are using file sharing software than voted for President
Bush in 2000," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "Throwing the book at
music swappers makes great political theater, but jailing 60 million music
fans is not good business, nor does it put a single penny into the pockets
of artists." 

"Jailing people for file sharing is not the answer," noted EFF Senior Staff
Attorney Fred von Lohmann.  "Proponents of this bill are casting aside
privacy, innovation, and even our personal liberty as collateral damage in
their war against file sharing." 

The ACCOPS bill was introduced in the House of Representatives today by
Representatives Conyers, Berman, Schiff, Meehan, Wexler, and Weiner, all
member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Links:

Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act of
2003

Contact:

Jason Schultz
  Staff Attorney
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  [email protected]
  +1 415 436-9333 x112 

Fred von Lohmann
  Senior Intellectual Property Attorney
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  [email protected]
  +1 415 436-9333 x123 (office) 

About EFF:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties
organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in
1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry and government to
support free expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to websites in the world
at http://www.eff.org/ 

-- 

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