Free Justin Bieber? The Commercial Felony Streaming Act

[Rusty5329]

Run time: 01:47 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKQW688MMm8   Posted on YouTube: November 05, 2011 By YouTube Member: MainStreetInsider Views on YouTube: 15   Posted on DU: November 07, 2011 By DU Member: Rusty5329 Views on DU: 1462

 
A couple weeks ago, S. 978, the Commercial Felony Streaming Act, was a relatively mundane bill. Aiming to crack down on illegal streaming and internet piracy, the legislation attracted little interest beyond the creative industry associations and the Internet freedom community. It passed the Senate Judiciary easily in June and appeared headed for the Senate floor.

Then, Justin Bieber spoke. Claiming repeatedly in a radio interview that bill sponsor Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) should be “locked up”, Bieber launched S. 978 firmly into the public spotlight. A key opponent organization had launched FreeBieber.org with the message that the Commercial Felony Streaming Act would have jailed the teen singer for posting his renditions of popular songs on YouTube, and Bieber’s comments attracted attention well beyond the core political community.

While the validity of FreeBieber.org’s specific claim is questionable, it does highlight the potentially troublesome vagueness of this legislation and provides a valuable window into the uglier side of the legislative process. As happens all too often Capitol Hill, S. 978 appears to have been crafted by industry interest groups and shepherded along by allied elected officials with little fanfare. Such scenarios leave the public limited opportunity for meaningful feedback, and the lack of checks and balances could lead to unintended consequences without further clarification. That said, it is highly unlikely that regulators would use the Commercial Felony Streaming Act to target YouTube users en masse.

Read more at http://www.mainstreetinsider.org/90secondsummaries/?p=543

[Pab Sungenis]

1. Normally I would say that

anything that puts Bieber behind bars is OK with me, but I agree this law is way too vague and puts too much power into the hands of too few copyright holders.

[1monster]

2. Your viseral reaction to Justin Bieber is remarkably similar to middle school boys who

turn green (apparently with envy) when middle school girls sigh over him.

I'm not a fan, but I am impressed by how he has worked to bring himself out of poverty and has worked to improve himself. His grade point average is 4.0. In my book, that, along with his reputation for clean living, makes him a role model. And if he is using his voice and music to raise himself up, all the more power to him. Many have tried and many have failed. He has succeeded.

[pam4water]

3. Five to ten for posting fluff. That's ridiculous. K&R