If House Hollywood sock puppet Howard Berman (Democrat, California) gets his way, it will become legal to hack a network in efforts to impede the on-line illicit trade in copyrighted works. . .
If House Hollywood sock puppet Howard Berman (Democrat, California) gets his way, it will become legal to hack a network in efforts to impede the on-line illicit trade in copyrighted works.

He's preparing legislation, apparently forced on him by the Hollywood fat cats he represents and who have lavishly bribed him into docile, purring submission.

The bill will create a legal safe harbor for what Berman euphemistically calls "technological self-help measures." He really means 'technological vigilantism', but whatever you call it, I like it.

In Berman's own words, this lunatic bill will establish "a safe harbor from liability for copyright owners that use technological means to prevent the unauthorized distribution of their copyrighted works."

How cool is that? When Berman's bill is passed I'll be allowed to break in to the pass-protected members' sections of Web sites and root people's corporate networks and home boxes whenever I have a 'reasonable suspicion' that The Register's copyrighted works might be getting passed around without permission.