MPAA vs. Net anonymity, AB 1143
Major Variola (ret.)
mv at cdc.gov
Tue Jul 15 10:35:39 PDT 2003
Studios Stage Fight Against Internet Bill
By Jon Healey, Times Staff Writer
The Hollywood studios are fighting a
behind-the-scenes
battle in Sacramento to derail a bill they say would
promote online piracy though the bill has little
to do
with downloading movies.
Actually, the fight may have more to do with who's
behind the legislation: the Electronic Frontier
Foundation,
a civil liberties and technology advocacy group that
frequently opposes the studios' anti-piracy
initiatives.
The measure by Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo
Alto)
would help Internet users maintain the anonymity
they
have in chat rooms and elsewhere on the Internet
when
sued in state court for something they said or did
online.
Passed by the Assembly on June 2 and scheduled for a
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today, AB 1143
would require Internet services to notify customers
of
subpoenas seeking their identities and give
customers 30
days to challenge the requests in court.
Because it would apply to lawsuits in state courts,
the bill
wouldn't affect people accused of pirating movies or
other copyrighted works online. Copyright cases are
heard in federal court.
<snip>
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mpaa15jul15,1,5900411.story?coll=la-home-todays-times
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