Last Thursday the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would expand the definition of illegally traded music and movie files, thus increasing the number of people charged with illegal downloading and companies who "willfully" distribute copyrighted works.
This bill, the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act, will next move to the House of Representatives for a vote.
"The goal of the legislation is to help law enforcement agencies prosecute more copyright violations," Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who sponsored the bill, said in a prepared statement.
However, Adam Eisgrau, executive director of P2P United, a lobbying group in favor of file sharing, said he would rather have the recording industry work to pay artists when their music is downloaded, according to the InfoWorld Media Group.
This bill could apply to any kind of recording device, including CD and DVD recorders and media organizations that give consumer tips on using digital content.
AU sophomore Jessica DeWalt does not think the government should be involved in the file sharing debate.
"The average taxpayer would rather the government spend more time on helping the general public rather than appeasing the music and movie companies that already have plenty of money," she said.
AU staff attorney Justin Perillo said the University's Office of General Counsel and e-Operations are working together when it comes to file sharing. Copyright owners contact the University if they suspect a file has been illegally downloaded on the AU network, and e-Operations investigates it.
"If the investigation reveals that copyrighted material is being improperly shared, we contact the user, require that they remove the material, and have the user review the computer use and copyright policy, as well as acknowledging that they will not do it again," Perillo said. "If there are subsequent violations, computer privileges can be suspended.
Congress is also dealing with other bills that touch on file sharing.
One example is the Induce Act, which would enable artists to bring civil actions against companies providing copyrighted material because that might induce others to infringe on these copyrights. It was introduced into the Senate in June and is now being considered by the Judiciary Committee.
