If a new bill introduced by three Congressman goes all the way to the President's signature, the FBI could well enough be turned into the peer-to-peer file swapping police.
The so-called "Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2003," written by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and co-sponsored by Reps. Howard Berman (D-California) and John Conyers (D-Michigan), would require the FBI to develop a program "to deter members of the public from committing acts of copyright infringement" by peer-to-peer file swapping or copying such files; and, to arrange infringement information between law enforcement, Internet service providers, and copyright holders.
"The security and privacy threats posed by peer-to-peer networks extend beyond users inadvertently enabling a hacker to access files," the bill's language says. "Millions of copies of one of the most popular peer-to-peer networks contain software that could allow an independent company to take over portions of users' computers and Internet connections and has the capacity to keep track of users' online habits."
The Recording Industry Association of America applauded the Smith-Berman bill. RIAA president Cary Sherman called it a strengthening of the FBI's and other law enforcement hands to hit "rampant" copyright infringement where it hurts.
"This common sense, bipartisan bill will help ensure that federal prosecutors across the country have the resources and expertise to fully enforce the copyright laws on the books -- especially against those who illegally distribute massive quantities of copyrighted music online," Sherman said. “There is also a need for greater awareness about our copyright laws and the illegality of pirating of copyrighted works over the Internet, and this bill bolster’s the governments’ ability to bring that message to the public."
There may be that awareness need, but the bill doesn't call for any Justice Department effort to educate the public on what it can or can't do with copyright material under the fair use doctrine – whether a user can copy a work he bought legally, as compared to whether he can just download the work without buying it.
