WASHINGTON -- Congress gave showbiz a helping hand in its anti-piracy battle Wednesday.
The House Judiciary Subcommitee on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property passed a broad antipiracy bill that would make it illegal to use a camcorder to record a film in a movie theater; give the Dept. of Justice new criminal powers to go after large-scale online file-swappers; and established a consumer piracy education program. The Senate Judiciary panel could act on its version of the legislation as early as today.
The bill included a "sense of Congress" provision that noted the refusal of peer-to-peer networks to voluntarily implement a filter that would block unwanted or copyrighted material from file-swappers.
"This is a common sense bill that ensures that federal prosecutors have the tools and expertise they need to fully enforce the laws on the books," Recording Industry Assn. of America topper Mitch Bainwol said in a statement.
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