Hatch Falls into Himself

From Wired News:

CD burners, jukebox programs and Wi-Fi routers are just a few of the technologies that could be threatened under a new version of the Induce Act, critics say. Like the first version of the controversial bill—which is championed by the music and movie industries—the latest language says that a company that intentionally induces a person to infringe copyright is liable.... Thus, the proposed law could deter companies from investing in new products that may make them liable for billions of dollars—even if they never intended the product to be used to infringe copyright. In addition, the bill would nullify the so-called Betamax decision, which sparked 20 years of innovation in technology. This legislation introduces a new kind of infringement—inducement—which Betamax does not protect.... "Hatch's staff still has not heard what the technology companies have been shouting as loud as they can," Schultz said. "He just rejected them all and went back to his own version. It makes you wonder how much he was actually listening to what people were saying."

This is a terrible development. This government is completely beholden to big business, and apparently whichever big business throws the most money its way, even if that screws over other big business. In 10 years, repeating a conversation will be illegal.