I have a suggestion for those file sharers located in CA who now must supply a valide (working???) email address, although not sure if it woudl be prohibited: use the governer’s email: governor@governor.ca.gov
But, IANAL, so you should probably read up on the new law to see if that would even be legal. Heh. 🙂
Sacramento — Aiding the industry that helped him gain worldwide fame, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Tuesday aimed at discouraging online piracy by requiring anyone disseminating movies or music on the Internet to disclose their e-mail address.
California file sharers who trade songs or films without providing an e- mail address will be guilty of a misdemeanor, under the first-in-the-nation measure that could make it easier for law enforcement to track down people who illegally download copyrighted material.
The bill is the latest attempt by film and music trade associations to combat the hard-to-police use of file-sharing software.
The signing was hailed by the bill’s sponsor, the Motion Picture Association of America, whose president, Dan Glickman, noted in a statement that Schwarzenegger had “a unique understanding of the powerful impact of piracy.”
The governor remains a member of the Screen Actors Guild, which supported the bill.
Opponents, including the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, say the measure infringes on privacy rights of computer users and would turn casual file-sharers into criminals.
The measure, SB1506, was carried by state Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, at the behest of the Motion Picture Association of America, which says it loses $3.5 billion annually to piracy and is concerned that online trading of films is a burgeoning problem for them.
Vans Stevenson, a senior vice president for the trade association, said the new law “will be another tool” used to combat piracy. He said the group hoped to work with state and local law enforcement officials on enforcing the measure.
Schwarzenegger did not comment on the signing.
But he has made no secret of his opposition to the online sharing of copyrighted material. Last week he signed an executive order prohibiting state employees from using software designed for file sharing.
Link via Waxy