Music, File-sharing Law Update

[armjan]

this law applies to kaza & users of any other p2p copyrighted file-sharing networks...

 

a new California law on Internet Piracy that makes it a crime for ANYONE in California to electronically distribute “commercial” works – specifically recordings or audio visual works – to more than 10 people without providing both the sender’s e-mail address and the title of the work.

 

This new California law went into effect January 1, 2005.

 

Below is a summary of the new law. The full text of the law is available at

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_..._chaptered.html

 

Summary

It is unlawful to knowingly distribute a commercial recording or audiovisual work electronically to more than ten people without disclosing both the sender’s e-mail address and the title of the work. A “commercial” work is one whose copyright owner or other authorized representative intends to make or has made available for sale, rental, or for performance or exhibition under license.

• Anyone other than a minor who violates this law may be fined $2,500 and/or imprisoned in a county jail for up to one year.

• A minor who violates this law may be fined $250. A minor who violates the law three or more times may be fined $1,000 and/or imprisoned in county jail for up to one year.

• When a conviction has been obtained, the court shall order the permanent deletion or destruction of the electronic files containing the works.

The law allows electronic distribution of commercial works in the following instances:

• By the copyright owner.

• When a person distributes works to his/her immediate family or to his/her pe! rsonal r estricted-access network within the immediate household.

• When the copyright owner, or a person acting under the authority of the copyright owner, has explicitly given permission for all or substantially all of the work to be freely disseminated electronically.

• By a person who is licensed by the copyright owner or someone acting under the authority of the copyright owner to electronically disseminate the work.

• By licensed electronic dissemination by cable television service over a cable system or direct to home satellite service.

 

even if you get vpn access to a server in a different country disguising u'r ip, if company folds under legal pressure, logs are handed over & your identified.

 

getting services from questionable foreign servers may lead to worse crimes than file-sharing.

 

i guess they are trying to spread the "if u can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen" philosophy.