Making unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings is against the law and may result in civil and criminal liability. A civil lawsuit could hold you liable for thousands of dollars in damages. Criminal charges can leave you with a crime, along with up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. This may surprise you. After all, compact discs can be easily copied multiple times thanks to cost-effective CD-R burning technology. When you`re on the internet, digital information can seem as free as air. In fact, U.S. copyright law provides comprehensive protection for sound recordings, whether in the form of physical CDs or digital files. Regardless of the format, the same basic principle applies: sound recordings cannot be copied or distributed without the owner`s permission. The 1979 Hostage-Taking Convention is an international treaty against hostage-taking. [27] The 1998 SUA Convention and the 2005 Protocol also address terrorist acts.
[7] The offence of hostage-taking is the seizure and detention and threats of death, injury and detention of a hostage. [27] Under the 1988 SUA Convention, the taking of control of a ship by force and the use of force against any person on board the ship is a criminal offence. [27] Piracy seems to be a crime of another time and place. But piracy still takes place today, albeit with less eyepatch and cannonballs. The following article discusses piracy laws in the United States and how they apply today. 4. Educate the public, especially young people, on the ethical and legal use of copyrighted digital media. A new FBI anti-piracy warning about unauthorized copying now appears on the packaging of music recordings, movies, software, and video games. Some require students to be made aware of the value of intellectual property and the consequences of violating copyright laws. Studies have shown that the attitudes of peers (real and virtual), siblings, parents and teachers influence the likelihood of a young person becoming a digital hacker. The flag State (owner) normally has jurisdiction and responsibility over a ship on the high seas. [10] Since pirates are the enemy of all humanity, there is universal jurisdiction over piracy on the high seas.
Pirates are deprived of flag State protection and all States (countries) have the right to seize a pirate ship on the high seas and prosecute it in national courts. [8] Territorial water is the body of salt water adjacent to the coasts of a country that extends over a certain distance. Crimes committed in this area will be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the land. Crimes committed outside this area – on the high seas – are generally prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the country under whose flag the ship is sailing. Piracy is a threat to maritime security for the principle of freedom of the seas, Mare Liberum. [10] All ships and all countries are free to trade and navigate the oceans, a right threatened by piracy. [10] The codes listed above are U.S. hacking codes, but piracy is inherently an international crime. There are international treaties governing piracy and various other international treaties relating to the high seas. These collective agreements are known as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition to piracy on the high seas, the same chapter of federal law also criminalizes other acts related to piracy.
When Achille Lauro was kidnapped in 1985, the ship was hijacked in the Mediterranean Sea by Palestinian extremists who were already on board. [16] Although there was violence on board the ship, it could not be considered piracy because there were not “two ships.” [16] Following the abduction of Achille Lauro, the International Maritime Organization developed the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Maritime Security. [18] The 1988 SUA Convention and the 2005 Protocol to the SUA Convention are United Nations treaties. [18] Even the White House has intervened, supporting the need for anti-piracy legislation that protects freedom of speech, the Internet, and U.S. intellectual property. Like the White House, I oppose censorship of legal activity online. The IPI report found that digital piracy is causing huge losses in production, jobs, and salaries in the U.S. media industry globally.
The study also estimated the additional cascading effect on industrial suppliers, retailers and government tax revenues. The following graph shows the main findings of the IPI study. The figures are based on research studies conducted between 2005 and 2007. U. v Ali (2013): This has been called the first modern application of piracy law in federal courts because it showed that the U.S. government can and will prosecute hackers, whether they are foreigners, U.S. citizens, or with ties to the United States. The principle of universal jurisdiction is exemplified by the international nature of the crime; Ali Mohamed Ali was charged and convicted of aiding a group of Somali pirates who seized a Danish vessel flying the Bahamian flag and crewed by Russians. His role in the crime was to negotiate the payment of the ransom. The RIAA obtained the names of the alleged hackers from Internet service providers (including universities). RIAA anti-piracy teams also monitored KaZaA`s network for further violations.
With this information, the RIAA has coordinated more than 25,000 prosecutions against individuals since 2003. The locomotives of legislation: First, the seriousness of the problem of online piracy leads to a legislative solution. The global black market for counterfeit and pirated goods and services has exploded to $650 billion annually, causing $360 billion in annual global trade losses. ~25% of all internet traffic is estimated to be an IP violation. Rogue websites receive 53 billion visits per year. As the epicenter of the global IP economy; The U.S. has the most to lose if it doesn`t address this economically corrosive problem of online piracy. U.S.
intellectual property companies under threat generate 33% of U.S. GDP and ~60% of U.S. exports. It is open to constructive suggestions that will lead to strict anti-piracy laws. Not everyone who uses the internet is a hacker. Most people follow the law and pay for the content and software they use.