********* http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/opinion/0,1042,1588,00.html The Netly News (http://netlynews.com/) November 20, 1997 Copyrights and Wrongs By Declan McCullagh (declan@well.com) If you think nothing of trading copyrighted software with your friends, think again. A new law passed by Congress will make even casual copyright breach a crime punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and five years in a federal prison. While you're cooling your heels in Club Fed, you'll have plenty of time to consider your misdeeds -- which in this case could have been making just three copies of Adobe Photoshop (cost: $389). The legislation covers anyone who copies compact discs, videocasettes or computer software worth at least $1,000. The No Electronic Theft Act, which President Clinton is expected to sign later this month, will be the first law in the history of the U.S. to imprison copiers looking to save (not make) a few bucks. The President's signature will come not a nanosecond too soon for the software and recording industry lobbyists who have demanded this legislation for years. "The function of the criminal copyright law is to deter people from commercial-scale piracy, just as it is to penalize those who prosecutors take to court," says Mark Traphagen, vice president of the Software Publishers Association, the software industry's largest trade organization. [...] ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/