Almost lost amidst the Internet's scramble to contain the Scob virus attack Friday was the U.S. Senate unanimously passing a bill to jail film pirates who sneak into previews with camcorders and then distribute new releases on the Internet.
Or, as Wired put it, "allowing skinflint fans to see new releases like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban without coughing up the price of a ticket."
Those convicted under the bill – if it makes it to President Bush's signature – would get up to three years in the pokey for a first offense and up to five years if it was done for profit, with repeat pirates looking at ten in the tank, and copyright holders allowed to sue for damages regardless of first, for profit, or repeat offenses.
"We are now one step closer to making thefts far more difficult, prosecution of criminals much easier, and the protection of consumers and artists much stronger," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the bill's co-sponsors, to reporters after the Senate vote.
A House subcommittee has also passed a version of this bill, but Cornyn told reporters the few differences between that and the Senate version could be fixed quickly.
