FC: Heritage on P2P hacking bill: A good idea; and Berman speaks

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Mon Oct 07 2002 - 22:09:30 PDT

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    ---
    
    Subject: New paper on Berman P2P bill
    Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 13:59:40 -0400
    From: "Gattuso, James" <James.Gattusoat_private>
    
    	FYI -- thought you may be interested in this short paper on the
    Berman P2P bill released last week by Heritage:
    http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternetandTechnology/EM835.cfm
    
    
    James L. Gattuso
    Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy
    The Heritage Foundation
    214 Massachusetts Ave. NE
    Washington, D.C. 20002
    (202) 608-6244
    
    ---
    
    Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 11:51:55 +1000
    From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private>
    Organization: The Age newspaper
    To: declanat_private
    Subject: Berman outlines case for P2P bill
    
    
    Hi Declan
    
    So anyone who disagrees with Rep Berman is "illogical" and a "piracy 
    profiteer"? But  he finishes by saying "I don't claim to have drafted a 
    perfect bill, and I welcome suggestions for improvements". That's what 
    people have been trying to tell him; it will be interesting to see if he 
    takes any of that to heart or if this is just window dressing aimed to 
    jolly us along. By labelling critics as he has, I suggest the latter is the 
    truth.
    
    You gotta love the hyperbole:
    
    "Some, in the media and among the piracy profiteers, claim that the bill is 
    not limited in this way. They claim that the bill gives a copyright owner 
    immunity for anything she does, no matter how illegal, as long as one 
    effect is to stop piracy on a P2P network. According to their "logic", the 
    bill would allow a copyright owner to burn down a P2P pirate's house if one 
    effect of the arson is to stop the pirate's illegal file trading. Clearly, 
    the bill says nothing of the sort, and no judge or disinterested party 
    could read it that way. "
    http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20021001_berman.html
    
    I don't recall anyone saying this, but by casting such a outrageous 
    comparison anything else looks reasonable.
    
    Berman is yet to address the issue of what happens outside the US borders 
    -- obviously not an issue that is high in the minds of Congressmen, but it 
    is the sort of thing that is of interest to the citizens and lawmakers of 
    America's "allies".
    
    
    -- 
    
    Nathan Cochrane
    Deputy IT Editor
    :Next:
    The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
    http://www.next.theage.com.au
    
    
    
    
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