Valenti lauds Feinstein, Cornyn
US senators Dianne Feinstein and John Cornyn will be delighted to know they have the unqualified approval of outgoing MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) boss Jack Valenti who thinks they, "deserve the applause and gratitude of everyone who cares deeply about combating digital film theft".
That’s because they introduced the Artists’ Rights and Theft Prevention Act (ART Act) which among other things, is designed to ramp up laws against people found sharing pre-released movies and music online, making it a new felony carrying up to US$250,000 in fines and three years in jail.
At the moment, it’s a felony conviction only if 10 or more copies of copyrighted material worth more than US$2,500 are distributed.
"They are deeply involved, and I’m confident their persuasions will enlist the rest of the Senate," says Valenti in a statement, adding, "This bill would provide law enforcement with a clear-cut statute for arresting and prosecuting these [movie file sharing] criminals."
