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Friday, May 21, 2004

MundiMuster! Tell Your Congressman to “Mash” HR 4077

[via Public Knowledge] Dear Representative:

I write to you as a concerned citizen about HR 4077, "The Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2004." I agree with Public Knowledge and others that this bill is misguided and you should oppose it for the following reasons:

The Bill Could Make My Legal Downloads a Crime: I am concerned with the way in which the Congress seems to change copyright law at the whim of the content industry. This bill drastically changes how criminal copyright infringement is enforced, while at the same time it lowers the standard to prove such infringement. Recent raids by the Department of Justice under “Operation Fastlink” indicate that current law is more than sufficient to apprehend copyright infringers. The bill would effectively criminalize the built-in music sharing features of Apple's iTunes, the market-leading online music store, as well as uses of WiFi technology. Additionally, HR 4077 could make the use of copyrighted works for criticism and education a crime.

The Bill Takes Sharing My Information Too Far: The bill directs the FBI to facilitate the sharing of information among law enforcement agencies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and copyright owners concerning copyright infringement on the Internet. Essentially, content companies want ISPs to keep a database on their subscribers' online activities. It is disconcerting that at a minimum, the bill does not specify: what information ISPs may track; what information ISPs may share; or one single procedure that government agencies and / or copyright owners must comply with to gain access to the information. This is a violation of my privacy and my constitutional rights. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act set up specific procedures for obtaining information on alleged copyright infringers—procedures that protect my rights to privacy and due process. HR 4077 puts my constitutional rights in the hands of large content companies.
For these reasons, I ask that you vote against HR 4077.
Sincerely,

Your name here.

cc:
The Honorable F. James Sensenbrenner Jr.
The Honorable John Conyers Jr.
The Honorable Lamar S. Smith
The Honorable Howard L. Berman
Your Own Representative

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