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Justin Bieber Attacks Harsh Copyright Laws, Says Senator Should Be "Locked Up"

Posted by: , 14:41 AEDT, Tue November 1, 2011

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Justin Bieber is now firmly at the center of a new copyright controversial, as he says the Senator supporting the stronger copyright laws should be "locked up" herself, while Bieber's lawyers fight those that seems to be on Bieber's side

Justin Bieber has has been dragged into the center of a major copyright controversy via the freebieber.org website, and the teen star himself has expressed the opinion that the Senator sponsoring the bill should be "locked up" herself.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) sponsored a bill Commercial Felony Streaming Act (S.978), which would criminalize the unauthorised streaming of copyrighted content, including YouTube videos. Previously, this was a civil matter between the copyright holder and the alleged infringer, but S.978 aims to make it a criminal one so that, as the copyright holders (mainly the music and movie industry) can get what they want, which is to allow law enforcement to intervene and take responsibility for copyright infringement.

But critics say the language in the bill is far too vague, and that someone singer a popular, copyrighted, song on YouTube could theoretically be sent to jail for 5 years, as well as anyone who embedded the same video on their website.

And as Justin Bieber became famous by posting his versions of popular, and copyrighted, R&B songs on YouTube, he has become the face of the opposition ot S.978 via the FreeBieber.org website. And when Bieber was asked on radio what he thought of S.978 and the Senator sponsoring it, he responded "Whomever she is she needs to know that I'm saying she needs to be locked up, put away in cuffs...I just think that's ridiculous."

But while it seems the Biebster himself supports the goal of FreeBieber.org, his lawyers seems to be on a different track. FreeBieber.org has received a cease and desist order to stop using images of Justin Bieber to promote their cause, something the EFF says has absolutely no grounds, due to protected speech laws in the United States.

It seems Bieber needs to check in with his lawyers and decide which side he wants to be on, the side that wants to make what he did illegal, or the side that wants to make it possible for other to emulate his success.


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