The RIAA knows no Santa Claus. Instead, they look to the G8 summit for their holiday wishes, and should they get their way, it'll be like a stocking fulla coal for the rest of us. The RIAA has been jonesing for a little something called the Anti-Piracy Trade Agreement Wishlist (ACTA) for awhile now. Let's take a look at the juiciest pretty pleases, shall we?
Require internet service providers and other intermediaries to employ readily available measures to inhibit infringement in instances where both legitimate and illegitimate uses were facilitated by their services, including filtering out infringing materials…
This means that your ISP, whether it be Time Warner or Comcast or any other provider, would be able to compare the files you download to a fingerprint database of sorts that identifies "infringed" material. So, not only would the RIAA slap you with a lawsuit, but you'd also get into some shit with your internet service. Kind of like a SWAT team breaking down the door before the cops come in and haul you out.
Establish, adequately fund and provide training for a computer crimes investigatory unit.
That's right. The internet police. Specially trained cops whose purpose is to weed out pirates on the internet. Better make sure Madonna doesn't lose a single album sale before we worry about the country's ballooning crime rate, right? Totally. Not to mention that the RIAA has been incredibly vague about what this crime unit would actually do, and we all know that, in this sort of situation, carte blanche is never a good idea.
…in the absence of proof to the contrary, an Internet service provider shall be considered as knowing that the content it stores is infringing or illegal, and thus subject to liability for copyright infringement…
Here's the kicker: Even if ISPs help the RIAA take down their customers who download illegally, they themselves can STILL get screwed for not identifying the offenders quickly enough! I'm not quite sure what incentive the RIAA is willing to offer these ISPs other than "do it or we'll punch you in the face." We're reverted to schoolyard bully tactics. Awesome.
I could keep going, but quite frankly, the list speaks quite well for itself. Oh, and hey, RIAA? Just met your buddy over here. Yeah, he appears to be green and has a heart that's about two sizes too small...
