Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has proposed legislation that would make the DMCA look almost just. Among other things, the law would make attempted infringement a crime, and send some infringers to jail for life. C|Net's intrepid Declan McCullagh does a great job calling attention to highlights from the legislation, which Gonzales has dubbed The Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007 [PDF].
If this legislation becomes law, here are some things you could look forward to: 1-10 years in prison for attempting to engage in copyright infringement that would bring no profit to you (i.e., trying but failing to copy Doctor Who DVDs for your girlfriend); prison for life if you endangered someone by using pirated software (if a hospital got somebody's medical records confused while using an infringing copy of Windows, for instance); being wiretapped by law enforcement investigating cases of attempted copyright infringement (now that your efforts to infringe Doctor Who DVDs for your girlfriend have been discovered, your cell phone has been tapped).
Sounds great, huh? But wait, there's more. The IPPA promises enhanced sentencing for violating the DMCA, and will allow law enforcement to seize computers more easily. Buckle up, techno-wonks. It's gonna be a rough ride if this bill makes it through Congress.
Gonzales Proposes New Crime [via News.com]
