Randy Saaf, president of an anti-piracy firm called MediaDefender, told the panel that he offered customers two ways to target peer-to-peer piracy: Clogging pirates' outgoing connections, and spoofing networks by distributing files with misleading titles. "If legal minds believe the current draft of the legislation leaves too much room for abuse, it should be redrafted," Saaf said. "However, the concept should not be abandoned because one thing is certain: P2P technology will continue to improve, and illegal downloading of copyrighted material will only get easier." Gigi Sohn, president of the Public Knowledge nonprofit group, was the only opponent asked to testify. Under harsh questioning from the panel, Sohn stressed that she was not a copyright abolitionist and believed that there was a role for government in punishing widespread infringement. But, Sohn said, the Berman-Coble bill went too far and could lead to unintended consequences, including targeting perfectly legal material. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., a leading critic of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other recent copyright laws, has raised the same point. "The door (would be) wide open for abuse by the copyright owner and harm to computer users," Sohn said. "For example, the limitations on altering and deleting files...conceivably would not prevent a copyright owner from cutting a user's DSL (digital subscriber line) or even his phone line or knocking his satellite dish off his roof." In a July opinion article for CNET News.com, Berman said it was time to crack down on peer-to-peer pirates. "There is no excuse or justification for P2P piracy. Of course, consumers would like free music at the click of a mouse," he said. "They would also like gasoline for less than $1 dollar a gallon. But we don't confiscate people's property and pass it out because people want it for free."
See the Digital Rights News Section for the latest on DVD-Ram, DVD-RW, zoning and copy protection.
Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the ZDNet news forum.
Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.
