The Bill the Hollywood cartels don’t want you to see
Many of you have seen or heard about the new amendment to the DMCA being sent to Congress by the Dep. of Justice. We've gotten a copy of the proposed bill and it's worse than we could have imagined.
This is a concerted effort to escalate Hollywood's war on America by creating a generation of criminals and sending them off to jail. That's right: the "Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006" (IPPA) would double the authorized prison terms for existing copyright infringement, create a host of new offenses, and establish a division within the FBI to hunt down infringers. The Members of Congress in the pockets of the Hollywood cartels want to divert $20 million a year and FBI agents from fighting real criminals so they can go after people without computers.
Read the entire bill here or a summary here.
Now is the time to fight back and prevent this from passing. This is the epitome of bad policy, and it's a direct result of the Hollywood Cartel's influence in Congress.
You can join the fight by calling your Congress member or your Senator. Tell them that you will not vote for their reelection if they do not publicly denounce this bill. Please take notes on your conversation, including the name of the staffer you talked to, and post them in the comments section of this post or email them to us.
IPac will be making this an issue in the 2006 elections, and we need your help to do it. Please consider donating or volunteering.
EDIT: I want to thank everyone that has written or called the Representative, but I want to add a bit of inside baseball on how Congress works. There is an order of importance when dealing with a constituent. The least likely to be dealt with are those that email. The most likely to be dealt with are those that call and particularly those that call a Representative's district office.
When you call make sure to be polite, but firm. If the person on the phone doesn't have an answer for you ask to speak to someone that does. If nobody has an answer for you, make sure to ask them to call you back when they do have an answer. Note the time of the call and all the people at the office you spoke with. Once you’ve spoken to their office, please leave us a note here or send us an email so we can track where each Representative stands.
46 Comments:
I contacted Senator Feingold, and Senator Herb Kohl from Wisconsin. I also sent a message to my representative, Paul Ryan.
Hopefully they get the point.
I sent emails to my congressional representative (Anne Northup) and my two senators (Jim Bunning & Mitch McConnell) to let them know I would not support them in re-election unless the denounce this bill.
I am surprised the EFF hasn't addressed this bill yet...
At any rate, it's really scary what they're trying to do. REALLY scary.
-Jeremy
I sent messages to my representative (Vic Snyder) and Senators Blanch Lincoln and Mark Pryor (Arkansas). Here's what I wrote them (feel free to copy for your own use):
------------------------------------
I would like to contact you regarding the latest DMCA bill: "The Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006". I believe this bill takes way too harsh a stance on copyright infringement. This would create a generation of criminals for people that just want to be able to listen to CDs that they have purchased on their iPods or digital audio players.
I am writing this letter to let you know that I will not vote for your reelection if you do not publicly denounce this bill. I believe that this is just another attempt on the part of the RIAA and MPAA to influence congress by throwing their money around. Thank you very much for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Casey
I called Senator Clinton's office and spoke with Rachel and Senator Schumer's office and spoke with Michelle. Both staffers were friendly and took down my opinions. Neither was able to tell me what their boss thought of the issue.
I told both that I thought the DMCA went too far in stifled innovation in the arts and in commerce and that the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006 is yet a further step in the wrong direction.
Emailed my Ohio reps! Thank you Casey for the great email template.
I sent email via the contact form on the sites of NH Senators Judd Greg and John Sununu and Representative Jeb Bradley. I'll let you know what they reply.
I want to thank everyone that has written or called the Representative, but I want to add a bit of inside baseball on how Congress works. There is an order of importance when dealing with a constituent. The least likely to be dealt with are those that email. The most likely to be dealt with are those that call and particularly those that call a Representative's district office.
When you call make sure to be polite, but firm. If the person on the phone doesn't have an answer for you ask to speak to someone that does. If nobody has an answer for you, make sure to ask them to call you back when they do have an answer. Note the time of the call and all the people at the office you spoke with. Once you’ve spoken to their office, please leave us a note here or send us an email so we can track where each Representative stands.
I contacted Sen. Rick Santorum, spoke to Erica, she took my name, address, reason for calling. I contacted Arlen Specter, spoke with Nicole, who did not ask for anything, I stated my reason for calling and she said "O.K. thank you" then hung up. I contacted Congressman John Murtha, forgot to get name of rep, they took down my info, and also asked me in detail the bill name and what it was. Also sent an email to Murtha.
I called Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s district office, and they told me to call his other district office, who told me to call the Washington office. I finally got ahold of Charles Dujon, Jackson's legislative director. He said he was unfamiliar with the bill so I e-mailed him the PDF of the draft. I'll post again when I hear back.
I've contacted Sen. Obama and Sen. Durbin (both from Illinois). I also plan to contact my Representative Jerry Weller.
Having some good boilerplate for key things to draw a representative's attention to would be a useful tool too.
I contacted my representative, Chris Van Hollen, Maryland District 8. and let them know this was a voting issue for me. They did not have a position yet...
I contacted Congressman Rush Holts Office, they were not sure where he stood on this bill but would call Washington to find out and get back to me. Hopefully they will.
Actually, the comment made by Jake about the "inside baseball" is not necessarily true. My Senators and Representative note very prominently on their websites that they prefer e-mail or fax and highly discourage regular mail, becuase it can take more than 6 weeks to arrive. I know for certain than my Senators' offices read and reply to e-mails (and even replies back to them). Check their websites and see if there's a preferred method of contacting them and then honor their preference. If you can call, great, but don't discount e-mail.
I called Sen. Cantwell and talked with Anna, I told her what I though and she asked if it had a number and I clarified that it had not been introduced yet and she said she would get the message to the senator.
I called Sen. Murray and talked with Samir and he took down what I had to say.
I called Rep. Larsen and got an Answering Machine (this was the local office) and left a fairly clear message.
This is absurd, our government is turning into something from a movie. And btw since when do you serve 10 years for stealing from a store, you dont, but yet, that is the penlty for committing copy right infringement. I could probably run out the front door of best buy with a handful of DVDs and get a slap on the hand, but as soon as we are dealing with what the government seems to think is evil, the internet, bring in the troops.
This is absurd, our government is turning into something from a movie. And btw since when do you serve 10 years for stealing from a store, you dont, but yet, that is the penlty for committing copy right infringement. I could probably run out the front door of best buy with a handful of DVDs and get a slap on the hand, but as soon as we are dealing with what the government seems to think is evil, the internet, bring in the troops.
This is absurd, our government is turning into something from a movie. And btw since when do you serve 10 years for stealing from a store, you dont, but yet, that is the penlty for committing copy right infringement. I could probably run out the front door of best buy with a handful of DVDs and get a slap on the hand, but as soon as we are dealing with what the government seems to think is evil, the internet, bring in the troops.
This is absurd, our government is turning into something from a movie. And btw since when do you serve 10 years for stealing from a store, you dont, but yet, that is the penlty for committing copy right infringement. I could probably run out the front door of best buy with a handful of DVDs and get a slap on the hand, but as soon as we are dealing with what the government seems to think is evil, the internet, bring in the troops.
This is absurd, our government is turning into something from a movie. And btw since when do you serve 10 years for stealing from a store, you dont, but yet, that is the penlty for committing copy right infringement. I could probably run out the front door of best buy with a handful of DVDs and get a slap on the hand, but as soon as we are dealing with what the government seems to think is evil, the internet, bring in the troops.
I sent emails to Ric Keller, Mel Martinez, and Bill Nelson.
Congressman Tiberi's staffer Adam had not heard of the bill and is looking into it.
Senator Dewine's transfered me to voice mail. I left a message with contact info and am calling tomorrow.
I wrote my senators and congressman from Virginia. Thanks for the guideline Casey.
I have just contacted my Senators, and the following is my letter to them. Feel free to use it (I would actually appreciate it) to write to your own representatives.
Senator xxx -
Having just turned 18, I am now able to vote for the people to represent the ideas that I believe in. The biggest issue that concerns me now, even more then the war in Iraq, is what is going on in our own country about intellectual property, copyright, and digital rights. I would like to express my views to you and explain my reasons for my positions.
The largest threat to the computing world right now is the proposed amendment to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which would double the penalties for so-called criminals who are illegally downloading and distributing copyrighted material. Although I definitely believe that the music, movie, and software industries should have control over their work and copyright, the penalties for infringing on the law are ridiculous. I can not even fathom how downloading a single song from the Internet illegally can put a person in federal prison for up to 10 years and warrant a full FBI investigation. It is truly mind boggling to me that this is allowed to occur in our country. I can not see how a speeding ticket has a significantly less repercussion then downloading a single piece of music. Speeding can and often leads to death, yet the fine can be as little as $50, yet downloading a compilation of 1s and 0s puts a person in federal prison for 10 years. I can not understand why the fine for downloading a music album is significantly more then $100 (10 times the cost of actually purchasing the CD in a store or legally online).
In addition, the Record Industry Association of America is abusing its power, using its lawyers, and intimidating innocent people into paying fines for crimes that they did not commit. A family in Georgia is currently being sued by the RIAA for sharing of music, yet they do not even own a computer (source: http://knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=4548). Families have been terrorized by the RIAA because a 12 digit number (an IP address) was picked out and supposedly linked to their name. I do not see how this is permitted to happen in our country, and as my senator, I know you can put an end to this.
I also fear that my digital rights to fair use on products that I legally purchase are being trampled on. If I purchase a DVD, I am not legally allowed to create a backup copy of it, as a precautionary measure to it possibly becoming scratched and damaged (a limitation that is the fault of the DVD industry, not my own). I am also not permitted to watch my DVD on medium other then my home DVD player or computer - I can not copy the movie for my own viewing pleasure into my video iPod or PSP. I feel that these limitations only stifle innovation and growth in our country. I believe that it is within my rights and the idea of fair use that I should be able to listen to and watch the media that I purchase in a manner and format that I desire.
Thank you for your time, and I would appreciate a response as to know my input was read and understood. I would also like to let you know that I will not vote for you in the next election if you do not make a public statement about your stance on these issues. Remember, the RIAA are NOT the people who vote for you; the people who the RIAA abuses do.
Sincerely,
xxx
i sent emails to my two senators from connecticut (joe lieberman, chris dodd) and my represntative (Nancy Johnson). I will call them tomorrow (it is too late to call them tonight). I also got my brother to send emails to the senators.
i sent emails to my two senators from connecticut (joe lieberman, chris dodd) and my represntative (Nancy Johnson). I will call them tomorrow (it is too late to call them tonight). I also got my brother to send emails to the senators.
Josh A from N.C. here.I notified my U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, and U.S. Senators Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole.
I called Carolyn B. Maloney (New York, 14th) and talked to Erica, an intern.
I plan to call Hillary and Chuck this afternoon.
I work for a state senator, and I would like you to know that a couple people mailing in will do nothing. The interns read and catalog your letter, and the rep. nevre sees it. In some cases, even on the state level the rep.'s assistant never even sees what you think. Try to actually physically contact them. If more than half a dozen people individually contact each senator and arrange a meeting, where all you say is "Don't do this" will get the message across. Good Luck.
I just spoke to someone at Senator Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) office who said this bill is in committe in the House. She said it will eventually hit Senator Kennedy's office since he's a member of the Judicial Committee. She also said he is dead-set against it.
-Amable Peguero
I called Congressman Lynch (D-9th Dristric, MA) and expressed my concerns with this Bill. It's in committee right now at the House. The person that answered said the Congressman hasn't seen it yet but they did take down my information and will call me back with an answer. She wrote down my opinion and promised to give it to the Congressman for him to consider. I basically said that the only thing these Bills are doing are alligning law abiding people like me with boot leggers out there. They are turning me into the criminal menwhile the bootlegger just finds ways around it.
I hope that helps. Keep calling your Congresspeople and let them know this bill is rubbish.
Amable Peguero
Henry Waxman, CA-30
Cristina Romero in the district office unaware of bill, asked to see PDF. Sent the following...
Ms. Romero,
Thank you for speaking with me this morning regarding the "Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006." Per your request, attached is a PDF of the draft I spoke to you about.
I make my living full-time in the entertainment industry by creating original intellectual property, so this bill stands a good chance of benefitting me financially if passed. Nonetheless, I find this bill so antithetical to the values of the United States that I must register my strong disapproval of it and urge Rep. Waxman to denounce it publicly. While the bill may be good for the Hollywood cartels, it is bad for everyone else.
As a resident of California's 30th District, I would encourage Rep. Waxman to seek the opinion of iPac on this matter. I have recently donated to iPac to help them get the word out on this noxious bill, which the Hollywood cartels would likely prefer to be passed without public attention.
Part of iPac's statement on the IPPA: "This is a concerted effort to escalate Hollywood's war on America by creating a generation of criminals and sending them off to jail. That's right: the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006 (IPPA) would double the authorized prison terms for existing copyright infringement, create a host of new offenses, and establish a division within the FBI to hunt down infringers. The Members of Congress in the pockets of the Hollywood cartels want to divert $20 million a year and FBI agents from fighting real criminals."
http://ipaction.org/blog/2006/04/bill-hollywood-cartels-dont-want-you_24.html
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. I hope to see Rep. Waxman denounce this attempt to hijack the FBI to serve the selfish interests of private industry.
Sincerely,
Brian Flemming
[contact info]
How about opening a 2nd front in the campaign. A Boycott - Do not go to the movie theaters , Nor buy DVDs, cancel your cable TV subscription , Do NOT buy Itunes, or Music CDS.
That should catch the attention ofmedia companies who are "buying" Congress.
Instead learn to play a musical instrument, get involved in community activities support local music and theater groups!
DRJAZZ
I sent this to my congressman, John Murtha from Pennsylvania. If you wish to use any part or parts, go ahead.
This committee is about to take up the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006. Let me advise that this is a very dangerous piece of legislation. It does the wrong thing by taking the DMCA and literally criminalizing processes that have no right being criminalized. This bill does nothing to protect IP for all, but does protect outdated business models of the major contributors to many on this committee. Stop for a moment and think... If this legislation were in existence in the 1980s and 90s, the reverse engineering that enabled other companies to find out how the IBM Personal PC worked would have been criminalized and the industry that exists today would not exist. Research that was commonplace then would not have been done due to fear of prosecution. We need to do better and protect every voter's fair use rights and the right of innovators to perform research that is needed to improve technology without fear of prison time. Lest you think I am some nut case, I work for a university in the technology services field and this legislation would, not could, have a chilling effect on all types of research and student activities nationwide.
I sent this to my local congressman, John Murtha from Pennsylvania. Feel free to use if you wish.
This committee is about to take up the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006. Let me advise that this is a very dangerous piece of legislation. It does the wrong thing by taking the DMCA and literally criminalizing processes that have no right being criminalized. This bill does nothing to protect IP for all, but does protect outdated business models of the major contributors to many on this committee. Stop for a moment and think... If this legislation were in existence in the 1980s and 90s, the reverse engineering that enabled other companies to find out how the IBM Personal PC worked would have been criminalized and the industry that exists today would not exist. Research that was commonplace then would not have been done due to fear of prosecution. We need to do better and protect every voter's fair use rights and the right of innovators to perform research that is needed to improve technology without fear of prison time. Lest you think I am some nut case, I work for a university in the technology services field and this legislation would, not could, have a chilling effect on all types of research and student activities nationwide.
Can anyone tell me what the Bill number is? I can't find it on the Library of Congress website. Thanks
I contacted Sen Byrd and Rockefeller. Also contacted Rep. Capito, Rahall,Mollohan.
Just hope they listen.
I contacted Congressman Jim Kolbe's and Senator Kyle's district reps, Bernadette at the former and Byron at the latter. Byron seemed concerned but didn't think the Senator had read the Bill yet, and Bernadette took awhile before she understood the idea of a "Rootkit". I will call McCain's office next.
I have contacted EFF on this issue asking them why this is not headlined on their site. Asking if it the reason is they do not know about it.
I sent emails (not as good, but it was late) to Senators Norm Coleman, and Mark Dayton of Minnesota. I also sent one to Jim Ramstad, my state representative.
I hope this helps!
I contacted the Albany, NY regional offices of Senators Clinton and Schumer. Neither of the staffers were able to provide their respective senator's opinion on the bill. I left comments for each stating that if they did not come out publicly against this legislation, that I would be unable to support them in future elections...
For what thats worth...
-mwm-
Call John Campbell's office (CA 46). He's relatively new having replaced Chris Cox after he went to the SEC. Spoke to a local staffer who did not know anything about this issue. She's referring it to their DC office for comment. I'll post the email when (or if) I get it.
Michael
I spoke with Patty Murray's office (Mike) and Maria Cantwell's office (Suzanne), senators from Washington state concerning the IPPA 2006. I also spoke to them about the PERFORM Act, S. 2644. You may all want to look into it. It essentially prevents satellite radio subscribers from recording and listening to paid programming. Feinstein, Graham and Frist are behind this one. EFF has the info on it (http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/).
I also got an email reply (no reason why not to use both barrells :) ) from Murray:
"Thank you for contacting me regarding the proposed Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006, which has not been introduced in the current Congress. I appreciate knowing your views on this matter.
"In the Senate, this legislation would fall under the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee. While I am not a member of that Committee, I want to assure you that I will be following the progress of this bill and will keep your views in mind if this or related legislation comes before the full Senate for consideration.
"Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope you will continue to keep in touch."
Here is my response from Senator Mark Dayton from Minnesota. He quotes Orrin Hatch, so I bet you can guess he is all for this DMCA Part 2. :(
Thank you for contacting me regarding Internet broadcasting. Senator
Orrin Hatch, now Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, provided a
clear picture of the digital file-sharing and copyright issue during the
Committee's hearing concerning the future of digital music on July 11,
2000:
This [digital music] technology presents a unique opportunity to those
who make a living by producing copyrighted works. They can be
self-publishers dealing directly with their fans. But it also presents a
unique threat if misused to rob them of their livelihood, which could rob
all of us of their continued work by destroying the incentives to create
and publish their works. All of which will require much greater
creativity in licensing or distributing copyrighted creative works.
Given the enormous ingenuity and creativity of those involved in the
technology and entertainment industries, there must be a way for music,
literature, and other forms of media to be enjoyed by all Americans in our
rapidly changing digital age.
I have not yet taken a position on the effects of the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act on Internet broadcasters. However, during my analysis of
the new royalty requirements, I adhere to the principle that any
intellectual property laws need to balance the rights of fair use by
consumers and the rights of artists to market their work.
My best regards.
Sincerely,
Mark Dayton
United States Senator
I emailed my Rep. in WI. About the DMCA Bill, this was her offices responce. Kinda getting issues confused... I never even mentioned HD Radio Broadcast Flag...
"Dear Mr. Johnson,
Thank you for contacting me regarding recent proposals for a "broadcast flag" on high definition (HD) radio. I am happy to hear from you.
As you know, in response to concerns that the high quality of HD Radio will encourage piracy, the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) recently proposed a broadcast flag for HD Radio devices. The broadcast flag would require new digital devices to obey certain content protection rules and limit radio listeners' ability to record HD Radio transmissions. While I understand the threat posed by digital piracy, I am concerned that the broadcast flag might infringe on consumers' rights, hamper innovation in digital, and increase the price of new devices for consumers. Currently, no legislation regarding a broadcast flag for HD Radio has been introduced in Congress. Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind should this issue come before me in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce or on the House floor.
Again, thank you for sharing your views. Your opinion matters to me. If I can be of service to you in any other way, please do not hesitate to let me know. As a result of the anthrax incidents, all mail sent to Congress is first irradiated. This process causes significant delays. To ensure the fastest response, I encourage all constituents who have access to the internet to contact me through my website at http://tammybaldwin.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Tammy Baldwin
Member of Congress
1022 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2906
10 E. Doty Street
Suite 405
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 258-9800
400 E. Grand Avenue
Suite 402
Beloit, WI 53511
Phone: (608) 362-2800
www.tammybaldwin.house.gov
"
I left messages for staffers with Senators Kerry and Kennedy and Rep. Capuano in Mass. If they call back I'll leave more details.
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