RIAA To Blow Up Your Computer

[HemlockGrey]

A lot of Japanese computers don`t even have speakers. They BUY a CD if they want music. And the average price of a CD is about $35 American. This is what the RIAA wants.

That's absurd. Japanese pop music isn't even any good.

[DPDarkPrimus]

That was actually the price I saw for the 8 Mile soundtrack, but yeah...

Although, a couple of Eminem`s songs are actually worth listening to.

[Darth Wong]

Hmmm, with a few edits, the original article becomes:

Hatch Takes Aim at Speeding Cars

By SUK MYAS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday he favors developing new technology to remotely destroy the cars of people who illegally break speed limits.

The surprise remarks by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, during a hearing on highway safety represent a dramatic escalation in the frustrating battle by industry executives and lawmakers in Washington against dangerous driving.

During a discussion on methods to frustrate drivers who illegally drive well above the speed limit, Hatch asked technology executives about ways to damage or destroy cars used for such purposes. Legal experts have said any such attack would violate federal laws.

"No one is interested in destroying anyone's car," replied Randy Saaf of HighwayDefender Inc., a secretive Los Angeles company that builds technology to damage cars remotely. One technique involves a small C-4 charge placed near the engine block.

"I'm interested," Hatch interrupted. He said damaging someone's car "may be the only way you can teach somebody about road safety."

The senator acknowledged Congress would have to enact an exemption for police from liability for damaging cars. He endorsed technology that would twice warn a driver about illegal speeding, "then destroy their car."

"If we can find some way to do this without destroying their cars, we'd be interested in hearing about that," Hatch said. "If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines. If you have a few hundred thousand of those, I think people would realize" the seriousness of their actions, he said.

"There's no excuse for anyone violating road safety laws," Hatch said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee's senior Democrat, later said the problem is serious but called Hatch's idea too drastic a remedy to be considered.

"Road safety must be preserved, but some Draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than they would solve," Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. "We need to work together to find the right answers, and this is not one of them."

Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who has been active in highway safety debates in Washington, urged Hatch to reconsider. Boucher described Hatch's role as chairman of the Judiciary Committee as "a very important position, so when Senator Hatch indicates his views with regard to a particular subject, we all take those views very seriously."

A spokesman for the American Association of Retired Persons, Jonathan Lamy, said Hatch was "apparently making a metaphorical point that if drivers don't take reasonable steps to curb their aggressive driving, Congress may be forced to consider stronger measures." The AARP represents a large number of habitually slow drivers.

Some legal experts suggested Hatch's provocative remarks were more likely intended to compel automaker executives to work faster toward ways to prevent speeding at the factory than to signal forthcoming legislation.

"It's just the frustration of those who are looking at enforcing laws that are proving very hard to enforce," said Orin Kerr, a former Justice Department highway safety prosecutor and associate professor at George Washington University law school.

Road safety mavens have gradually escalated the fight against aggressive drivers, targeting the most egregious offenders with civil lawsuits. The AARP recently won a federal court decision making it significantly easier to identify and track drivers — even those hiding behind aliases — who have ever exceeded highway speed limits.

Kerr predicted it was "extremely unlikely" for Congress to approve a sabotage or demolition exemption for police, partly because of risks of collateral damage when explosives or brake system sabotage devices are activated.

"It wouldn't work," Kerr said. "There's no way of limiting the damage."

[The Yosemite Bear]

Of course they will go after innovaters who are burning their own albums using "Covers" for occasional tune or too.

Sounds about right for these assholes.

[Stuart Mackey]

Its stupidity like this that makes me glad I am a New Zealander.

Mind you, I can see the headlines now, if they dont get it right and work out how to restrict it to the US only

"US Recording boss's extradited to NZ"

Several US recording industry excutives were extradited to NZ today to face charges of willfull property damage. This happned after numerous home computers in NZ were damaged or redered unusable by US recording companies in efforts to crack down on internet music piracy. This is also in addition to several other nations also issueing extridition requests for the same reasons.