Now Senator Hatch Says P2P Software Companies Like Tobacco, Asbestos Firms
from the corrupting-our-youth dept
Senator Orrin Hatch certainly has the ability to say noticeable quotes about file sharing. He's the guy who asked if it was possible to destroy computers of those who used file sharing to access works illegally. Later, he flipped a bit and said he thought the RIAA was going too far with their lawsuits. It's a little tough to figure out what world view makes it okay to destroy computers of certain users, but not okay to sue them. Anyway, his latest target is the P2P software makers themselves. He's warning them that if kids download any pornography, trial lawyers are going to sue them out of existence. He compares them to tobacco and asbestos companies - though, he clearly says he doesn't believe they should be sued. It reads like a typical organized crime offhanded threat: "I'm not saying I would do anything to you, but, if you don't play ball, I can't guarantee that someone else might not take a bat to your kneecaps..."Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Mike has an epiphany
I believe this is what some people call "a moment of clarity".
Perhaps the realization that the US government is not *that* far displaced from organized crime is but a step on the road to maturity, none the less it is good to see that the realzation being made.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]