Copyright Gone Insane: CRIMINALIZING LIP-SYNCHING

by Stephan Kinsella on June 9, 2011

As reported in the FoxNews story Lawmakers Pushing Bill That Could Land YouTube Lip-Synch Artists Behind Bars, Senate Bill 978 seeks to “modernize” copyright law–by making lip-synching of copyright-protected songs punishable by five years in prison (h/t Moin Yahya). Yeah. You got that right. The proposed law “provides for steep penalties — up to five years in prison — for ‘publicly performing’ copyrighted material and embedding the video to sites like YouTube.”

Here is Sen. Cornyn’s sickening rationale for this insanity: “As technology rapidly evolves, our laws must be updated to protect creativity and innovation.”

Some people seem to be realizing what a horror copyright is becoming:

“It seems like (the bill) is attacking the core of the Internet itself, which is to promote communication amongst people all over the world,” said Hemanshu “Hemu” Nigam, a former White House counsel for online protection and the founder of the online safety advisory firm SSP Blue.

… Nigam said something as simple as a school recital could expose students and anyone else who participated in the potential copyright violation to prosecution.

“The questions you’re going to have to ask are do you prosecute the school for hosting the event? The parent for videotaping it and posting it on their Facebook? Or the child for actually using the Lady Gaga song and performing it in front of all her loved ones?”

“Because this is a federal law, what it’s saying is that you can go to federal prison for up to five years,” said Nigam. “That…is a really big deal.”

My friend Rob Wicks who, if it’s possible, hates IP even more than me, said: “Tolja. It’s gonna get bad. If there is another civil war in the USA, it will be over IP.”

In response, my other buddy Manuel Lora instantly formulated this great observation:

The first civil war: slavery of the body
The second civil war: slavery of the mind

Update: Senate Panel OKs Felony Streaming Act

{ 1 comment… add one }

Myra June 17, 2011, 5:15 pm

The record industry cutting out their nose to spite their face. Lip syncking videos are nothing but PROMOTION for their artist’s music. But hey, OK. You don’t want more people exposed to your music???….OK…

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