So by the same logic if someone swings a punch at someone else and misses they could be convicted for murder? (A punch can easily kill someone if it lands in the wrong spot).

Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

here's another quote from the bill:

Section 411 of title 17 currently provides that, with certain exceptions not applicable here, "[nlo action for infiingement of the copyright in any United States work shall be instituted until registration of the copyright claim has been made." Section 2 of the Administration's legislative proposal would amend section 41 1 to clarify that this rule applies only to civil infringement actions and not to criminal prosecutions.

A copyright "subsists from [the work's] creation," 17 U.S.C. Ej 302(a), even if the work is not registered. Registration is an administrative formality, and although this formality has - and should have - certain consequences in civil cases, it should not in criminal cases.

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In other words goofy Gonzales thinks you must be able to start a criminal case over copyright infringement if the would-be copyright owner didn't even apply copyright to something, because that's 'just a formality'

How this guy keeps his job in beyond me and it's a embarrassment to america that they have this guy work in such a position.
I bet he has toiletpaper with the constitution printed on it in his house, from the whitehouse gift shop.

The founding fathers would have called him a traitor and hung him I bet, instead he's Mr law.

How come nobody replied to my previous "attempted" post?

Bah...this guy "attempted" to give me a product I paid money for, I think that's good enough for me.

I'm "attempting" to swim across the ocean, they should give me the title for best swimmer.

What is this BS they're attempting? No way it's gonna pass... Gonzales must be smokin' some pretty good $hit.

"Oh really, attempted murder, what is that anyway? Do they give out Nobel Prizes for Attempted Chemistry?!"

I'd think Gonzales has much bigger things on his plate to worry about, but maybe he just doesn't recall them!

So if I ripped a CD, made multiple digital copies to use on devices I own, then you could arrest me because I might share the music on a p2p?

I don't know what the rest of you are complaining about, I personally SUPPORT this radical new move. I mean, come on, the fact that copyright infringement causes terrorism ALONE is reason enough to pass this bill. And before you try to argue that there is no link between terrorism and copyright infringement, I suggest you consult the experts on the topic; the RIAA/MPAA. They are the only unbiased and objective source that I can trust for information like this.

After all, it's not like there are any financial issues motivating their propaganda campaigns, all they are trying to do is help the economy and US consumers. Such a selfless act as trying to help the public understand how internet piracy directly affects the amount of drugs on our streets, the violent crime rates in urban areas, and even the number of people that die due to cancer every year warrants our admiration, not contempt.

So quit your whining, the only people who would have ANY reason to install Microsoft windows on their computers are the ones that need to be locked up. They are the sickness of our society, and their perpetual piracy is killing our prosperity.

RIAA FTW.

You know if this were true with other things,the FBI would have me in locked away for life considering some of the ideas I have thought up, and would never attempt.

But the mind can be a creative thing.

I figured #20 was being sarcastic, I just wanted to make sure. mmmmmkay.

Sometimes, you just never know. ;)

Welcome thought police!

Well...darn, I suppose, since I already started, I may as well just go ahead and turn myself in. No sense trying to live a life on the run, tormented by the remorse of having "almost" committed a crime...Oh, I hope my poor mother won't think ill of me...I've really disappointed everybody now. Oh the horror.

Farewell my friends, I shall now take my leave to the rusty confines and shackles of eternal damnation, imprisonment, and ner-do-wells companionship. Hopefully, someday I may shed these evil thoughts and backup habits, and truly repent for all of my information technology sins. May I ever again be graced with the sanctity of tty (for my deaf father, of course, not pronounced "Titty" you perv), I could only be so thankful.

Woe is me, for my tireless renewal of usage rights, and purchasing of new software, only to succumb to the endless need to ensure my data is safe. Who am I to believe that I could be allowed such a pleasure as having the peace of mind in knowing that, if my system were to crash at any moment, I could, yet again, be capable of using my much valued information.

...is the sarcasm tag really necessary for this one?

Ah well, I'll add it anyway.

/sarcasm
/bad dramatizations
/quippy witticisms

Oh, wait a minute...did I actually include any witticisms?...hmm...I'll have to think about that.

Now...if I'm "thinking" about making a backup of my saved game files, because my computer needs a fresh reinstall, and the fact that I have to re-copy the contents of those files, as well as the OS itself, back onto my system, thus creating a new copy of the entire partition, along with all drivers and support software that I had to download from the internet in the first place...I get to go to jail and not collect $200?

/loving this sarcasm tag

I love these topics... these are the ones you can read and see everyone on the same side and having fun with it. No fanboys here lol

This is very much like what DSS tried to do to to those thast bought smartcard readers, "attempting to manipulate intellectual property". I know I was one of those guys. I had bought a smart card reader back in '00, thinkiing I would try to make my own smart card security system. I,of course had the slightest idea of what I was doing, and the project went sour. no biggie the card reader was onlhy $40, not such a loss. onetheless, 'bout 9 months latr, I got a phone call from lawyers rep'ing DSS, telling me I owed them a total of $3500 for lawyers fees and a chance at a clean slate, because, by buying the card breader, I violated their intellectual property, not by atually using it to manipulate their cards, but since the reader c ould be used to reprogram their cards, I may (or may not) have used it to do so. Huh? Apparently they were covered under the Digital Millenium Act of 2000 to make such claims. Did I do a crime? No. Did they have proof I commited a crime? No. They had the suspition that since I was privte party, not a company, I would use the card reader for nothing but crime. And the scary part was if I refused to pay, they would carry me to court, to pay the 3 offenses carrying a max fine of $10g apiece! $30,000, not including lawyers fees. Had me scared for a while, as no lawyer even wanted to defend me!! Luckily I refused to give in, and waited. The 11th circuit courts of LA found their doings unconstitutional, and made them cease and decist. Their were even huge counter suits, but I didnt jump in. I was just gladf to have em off my back!

I dislike partisan politics but I sure hope the Democrats we elected to show the Republicans we weren't happy with their leadership fight every stupid draconian law like this that the administration tries to pass.

I sit here any watch as the rights of US citizens vanish. Eventually you are going to be some sort of military state where everyone fears the government....like in V or something.

Whats sad is that its actually a possibility.

"We are reviewing (the attorney general's) proposal. Any plan to stop IP theft will benefit my campaign contributions and the American studio executive. I applaud the attorney general for recognizing the need to protect intellectual property." - Texas Representative Lamar Smith

Seriously though, what is "attempted copyright infringement"? Am I guilty just by going to a torrent tracker? Why do we need to wiretap everyone all of a sudden?

I think politicians should be painted/decaled/stickered like NASCAR, that way you know who owns them at a glance.

all i have to say is HAHA to this law! I dont think it will even begin to prevent piracy, as it will piss off the pirates even more, which will cause even much more piracy. Thats why bacteria does so well, it can adopt to whatever you throw at it, until there really is no known cure.

This is a useless law. It's illegal to pirate already, and that's not stopping many people. Making it illegal to attempt piracy sure isn't going make a difference.

Die, internet, die!

Come to think of it, the only thing missing from this announcement is that video clip of Sen. Ted Stevens explaining the Internet as a network of circuits and tubes.

haha lame, as always, politicians sticking their nose where it doesnt need to be.

All this is going to do is waste paper/PDF files.

I find it funny, how I'll download a movie, see that it's actually good, then go out and buy it. Of course, if they take away my computer, I won't be able to watch, then I won't buy it. I couldn't even rent seeing as how I watch all my tv/movies on my computer.

Nice job linking to the actual pdf of the bill cyril, that's pro, you know how many sites, even 'respected' news sites would neglect to do that and just give an 'artists impression' on such matters.

615 Days, 9 Hours, 4 Minuets, 12.3 Seconds

sooo what you are saying is that people like Eye, whitehats... your going to throw them in jail for finding security holes in OS, firmwares, voting machines, company networks and trying to warn the vendors?

seems to me this will only make the do-gooders stop working, and the real bad hackers wont care aynways...

good job dumb asses

hmm... Minority Report

Wow, install a P2P app and Uncle Sam can take your computer and arrest you! Now THAT'S a bill to vote for!

This bill may fail, but don't think that in the future the US won't see laws like this in reality. For as long as the country is run by old buzzards who don't understand technology but do understand the money their pockets are getting lined with, the threat looms.

Dear Congress,

Please pass this law.

Once you complete that, please pass the law declaring TCP/IP as a method for attempted piracy.

This is really getting out of hand.