Alberto Gonzales, our beloved Attorney General, is putting forward a new bill that will make attempted piracy a punishable crime.
I'm not sure what to think of the bill as a user of pirated software. I do somewhat see where he is coming from (movie and record companies are losing tons of money these days), but the clause about "life imprisonment" for using pirated software in hospitals and similiar institutions is a little overkill.
Yeah, it seems like overkill. I'm not sure how anyone could justify anything more than a heavy fine for something that is quickly becoming commonplace - although I think laws like this exist more for the purpose of intimidation than for actual punishment.
This just seems like bad news all across the board. Putting people in prison for not-for-profit copyright infringement is wrong to start with, and all of these additions are just that much worse. Putting non-violent offenders of any kind in prison is a stupid idea that will lead nowhere.
I wish they'd hurry up and fire his ass.