If You Have A Computer, You’re Guilty
This Slashdot article points to a bill that passed the House a couple days ago which would, if enacted, create an Intellectual Property Czar, whose job it would be to break down your door and seize your computer(s) if there is any suspicion that you are involved in copyright infringement, or could be, or have thought about it, or… basically, if you have a computer, and someone doesn’t like you, the IP Nazis can come and seize your computer, until you can demonstrate you weren’t doing anything illegal… which is pretty damned hard without access to your computer.
Yeah… The bill was introduced by House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers Jr. last December. He’s a Democrat. The House is Democratically controlled. This “business-friendly” bill passed. Yes, the Democrats are just as much in the pocket of BigBiz as the Republicans.
The House Judiciary Committee is supposed to provide Congressional oversight of the administration of justice by the Federal Courts. I thought the founding principle of the justice system in the United States was the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Has that officially changed?… and what about the 4th Amendment to The US Constitution? The Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee INTRODUCED this bill. I don’t know about you, but I’m utterly horrified.
This article on Billboard.com states that no companion bill has been introduced in the Senate. Let’s hope it stays that way.