According to the COVID relief bill’s text, illegal streaming for commercial profit could become a felony. And the culprit could end up in jail for ten years!
The Hollywood Reporter finds this will do better than previous efforts.
It’s been less than two weeks since Sen. Thom Tillis released his proposal to increase the penalties for those who would dare stream unlicensed works. In doing so, the North Carolina Republican flirted with danger. About a decade ago, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) made a similar proposal before it ended up dying as people worried about sending Justin Bieber to jail. (No, seriously.)
But Tillis’s attempt has been winning better reviews. He narrowly tailored the provisions toward commercial operators rather than users (users next). That said, it’s had very little time to circulate before evidently becoming part of the spending package. If passed, illegal streaming of works, including movies and music tracks, could carry a penalty of up to 10 years in jail.
That’s not the only change to copyright law, either. The spending bill creates a small-claims adjudication system within the U.S. Copyright Office.
Copyright owners don’t like to go to the federal courts for copyright infringement. The new system is unconstitutional, but it’s voluntary. Advocates believe that will help it survive legal challenges.
Hollywood will also get an extension of Section 181. It gives them an immediate deduction of TV and film costs up to $15 million for the next five years.
How nice for them, and you get $600.
It’s all that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would accept. The Senate passed it, and now it goes to the President’s desk. Dems and RINOs told him he has to sign it, or the people won’t get any relief after six months.
Instead of passing horror bills, open up!
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It can’t be any more obvious this is one of those bills that each person gets every little part they want. THIS is how Congress gets very high vote counts. It is the epitome of corruption. It would be interesting to know who are the recipients of those dollars and what percentage of those monies stay in DC, except the 600 of course. The public has to get something. I’m curious to see whether my Senator will bother to even write back after sending the many details, before the vote.
Bwahaha! No one will be streaming any corn studded turds from Hollywood anytime soon.
A good movie hasn’t been made in decades and the contemporary moronic subpar scripts would be laughed at by kindergartners who have more creativity than any SJW legends in their own mind from has been Hollywood.
What a golden time as all the traitorous fifth columns get revealed and ready for a comeuppance!