California file sharers who trade songs or films without providing an e- mail address will be guilty of a misdemeanor, under the first-in-the-nation measure that could make it easier for law enforcement to track down people who illegally download copyrighted material.
The bill is the latest attempt by film and music trade associations to combat the hard-to-police use of file-sharing software.
The signing was hailed by the bill's sponsor, the Motion Picture Association of America, whose president, Dan Glickman, noted in a statement that Schwarzenegger had "a unique understanding of the powerful impact of piracy.''
This law needs to be updated to include electronic dissemination. Senate Bill 1506 protects California consumers and its vital motion picture and music industries by extending to the Internet world the requirement that any commercial movie or sound recording file that is disseminated by an individual be labeled with his or her "email address."
The measure will also protect California's online consumers as well as safeguard the livelihood of the hundreds of thousands of workers inhabiting the entertainment industry in California by making crystal clear who is providing materials to those consumers and their children online.
The bill helps to prevent individuals from disseminating commercial works that are not their property and which they have no right to distribute, by creating a misdemeanor crime of a $2,500 fine and up to one year in jail. Minors who knowingly violate this crime would receive significantly lesser fines & penalties.
The bill protects the consumer’s right to know whether or not the movie or music files are legitimate or counterfeited, just like video movies and CDs when the "true name and address" was first enacted 20 years ago by the legislature.
Seems like the MPAA wins most of these battles. You can read more about Governer Schwarzenegger's actions here.
