Congress is back at it again with Section 115 Reform Act of 2006 (SIRA). It seems that Congressman Berman (D-RIAA/MPAA) of the 28th District of California has decided to submit a bill that would modify copywrite laws in such a way that all incidental copies of music to be licensed separately from the originating copy. This includes copies of songs that are cached in your computer's memory or buffered over a network would need yet another license.

How does this effect you? Just copying a CD from your own collection to your iPod / MP3 player would require that you pay fees of each piece of music content that you put on your device. On top of that, you then have to pay for each peice of music that you listen to on your MP3 / iPod device. And here is the clincher, this is a retroactive law that makes you liable for all the music that you have copied and played since 2001!

For further details go to:
<http://ipaction.org/blog/2006/06/worst-bill-youve-never-heard-of.html>

While you are on that page, contact the subcommittee members (listed at the bottom of the referenced web page) that are considering these law changes and tell them what you think.

This is crap. Nowadays everything we own seems to be on long term loans.

Still, who's going to care anyway perhaps until Congress sue mp3 makers (Apple...) for coming with mp3 players (iPod..)?

I don't see how this could be legal if you either legally purchased the CDs from which the music was copied from, or if you bought it from legit companies online. It's like taxing people for paying taxes and then taxing them on the taxes they paid. How stupid is that? I read an article in Maximum PC just the other day about a proposed bill in Congress that would make even the attempt of downloading or listening to mp3s, streaming radio, etc illegal. The article went on to say that you could be charged or fined for browsing for a band online and stumbling on to an mp3 site. Our rights are getting slowly stripped away bit by bit and no one is really aware of it. I understand that artists don't like piracy and want to get paid and I respect that, but this is going too far now.

And before I get all worked up over this, does anyone know if this is actually a REAL bill being pushed through Congreess and not a rumor? (Like the one that went around for years about taxing people for each email they send)

Totally agree, there is no way they could make that illegal if they purchased the music legally! What about music that you have made yourself? or royalty free songs?

*rant alert* AN IPOD IS A FRIGGING MP3 PLAYER

I realize that and iPod is an MP3 player, but not all MP3 players are iPods. This law would effect all MP3 players.

Ahhh so just looking for some more google hits from typing iPod, just like everyone else lol