Well, kinda, maybe. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D – Minn.) is sponsoring an anti-piracy bill that is backed by the recording and film industries as well as the US Chamber of Commerce. It would make it a felony to post unlicensed content online 10 times in 180 days. The advocacy group Fight for the Future points out that pop heart throb Justin Bieber first became famous for posting home videos where he sang various familiar pop songs. “Those videos are still on the Internet, so if Bieber doesn’t pull them all down right away, he could be prosecuted and sent to the slammer for five years on felony charges,” Fight for the Future says.
Klobuchar’s office has responded (via Hillicon Valley):
Linden Zakula, a spokesman for Sen. Klobuchar, said the bill would not, in fact, send Justin Bieber to jail.
“The bill language specifically targets people who willfully engage in copyright infringement for commercial advantage or private financial gain,” he said. “The bill does not criminalize uploading videos to YouTube or streaming videos at home.”
Nonetheless, Fight for Freedom has launched a website, FreeBieber.org, to draw attention to the bill.
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