When Attorney General Alberto Gonzales isn't busy obstructing justice, his latest pet project is convincing Congress to pass the new Intellectual Property Protection Act Of 2007, a bill that carries with it a lot of harsh threats not only for all you copyright infringers with Oink bookmarked, but even those who "attempt" to commit piracy. That's right: No longer must there be actual infringment—all you have to do is try. Included in the bill's provisions are:
– proposed life sentences for anyone using pirated software who "recklessly causes or attempts to cause death." (Officials cite "hospitals using pirated software" as an example.)
– increased power to wiretap suspected infringers, and seize their computers more readily.
– penalties for anyone who "intends" to commit copyright infringement. Previously, one had to distribute at least 10 copies of pirated material over a 180-day period.
Gonzales also intends to put a stop to concert bootlegs, requiring Homeland Security to alert the RIAA whenever CDs with "unauthorized fixations of the sounds or sounds and images of a live musical performance" are attempted to be imported.
