[Broderic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib7-vSrp6y8
Watch the video then read the description and make your own decision.

[Soundwave]

I dunno, it doesn't look that bad to me. It seems it's just if you make money from it and do it excessively right?

[Elessar]

just a thought. I guess this is a bill set in the USA or am I wrong. if so how will this affect persons in other counteries that are not inflicted by a other counterys laws. since what I know does we here in sweden have no thing like that and it is not planed as well to create such a law. I think no goverment expect a person to know every counterys laws. for the h... I don't even know all of swedens laws the law book here is around 10cm thick

[Broderic]

The way it's worded Soundwave it appears that if you post any video or stream any gameplay footage from any game without express written permission from the companies involved with the game the government itself can now come in and prosecute you (if the bill passes which I highly suspect won't happen, but you never know with the US government)

The bill itself is more aimed at illegal streaming of movies/tv shows/music on various websites (which will go unmentioned here for obvious reasons). But the way its worded allows them to also interfere with people streaming games on lets say justin.tv for example or posting gameplay footage on youtube.

[Soundwave]

I've read over the bill properly now and basically it says that if you make a lot of performances AND make money from it in one of the two ways listed, then you get done. I really don't have any issue with that since the things that are out there for free, or the things that people are making money on which they acquired for free, are other people's work and it's plain wrong.

And yes Elessar, it's only for the States but I imagine it'll start appearing in other countries too if it starts working.

It's about time they cracked down on copyright law! I'm hoping one day they'll start policing the internet properly and stop excessive torrents (but I would also want the retail cost of items to go down as well mind you).

[dendodge]

If they start relying on laws like this, people who want to download/stream stuff illegally will continue to do so, by other means.
The copyright holders need to work with the fans, not against them. There is surely an acceptable compromise that allows the fans to share the work and the companies to make money. I just don't know what it is.
That doesn't mean I don't agree with this bill, however. If you're making that much money from other people's works, you deserve to be punished.
It doesn't look like it will harm Let's Plays, walkthroughs, etc., since they don't (usually) make money out of it.

[Dave Harper]

all they want is cash ie you buy the rights for it to post it i think this violates a recent supreme court ruleing games being protected by the first amendment not sure though

i personally find this agenst the first amendment seeing as as long as you list the proper copyright info your fine

they already can <as this guy says>tell us to stop this is just a way for them to get cash for it its legal extortion.

the ironey of this bill is if passed... they screw themselfs outta a ton of cash

[Soundwave]

But hasn't the point always been that if you make money from copyrighted work then that = bad. This is just a law actually enabling the prosecution of people properly. It won't affect anything that you disseminate for free (as long as you do all the things you're supposed to do). I don't see it as just another way to get money out of people - that's just a nice byproduct of it (think of it as spoils of war).

And wasn't the recent 1st amendment thingy just about freedom of expression for computer games (this is a question, not a statement as I don't know much about my law let alone yours!)?

[Broderic]

But hasn't the point always been that if you make money from copyrighted work then that = bad. This is just a law actually enabling the prosecution of people properly. It won't affect anything that you disseminate for free (as long as you do all the things you're supposed to do). I don't see it as just another way to get money out of people - that's just a nice byproduct of it (think of it as spoils of war).

And wasn't the recent 1st amendment thingy just about freedom of expression for computer games (this is a question, not a statement as I don't know much about my law let alone yours!)?

I'd suggest watching this video after reading the bill, WARNING: LANGUAGE! (do not watch if you have a sensative brain) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hytigOSjJxc, they don't understand how the bill would affect alot of other business models (such as machinima)

In the attempt to shut down illegal streams of TV's and Movies the bill could shut down streams, videos, and whole businesses that are based on streaming footage of video gameplay (or karaoke) In order to assist in getting the US congress to get the bill right go to the following link and read up and fill in the form on the right side http://act.demandprogress.org/letter...hVZPC&rd=1&t=1

[Dave Harper]

normally to buy licence for stuff is many thousands of dollers <even without the lawyers> copyright laws allready protect them