Check That MP3 Player at the Border: ACTA Could Bring Tough New Copyright Laws

[admin]

Living close to the Canada/US border used to be a lot less stressful. You could head across to either side for a simple lunch date and head back with little more ceremony than a few questions to ensure you didn’t fit some dubious profile. New international copyright regulation could make that border trip with your iPod, cell phone or laptop a hazardous exercise in your right to private property.


Discuss "Check That MP3 Player at the Border: ACTA Could Bring Tough New Copyright Laws " here. Read the article.

[GlocksRock]

I can't see this ever happening, it's just do ridiculous. Even if it did pass, how many of the border patrol agents do you think are actually going to take the time to enforce it. I would venture to say that a lot of these agents wouldn't even know how to use half of these devices anyway.

[tomd51]

True, it is highly unlikely that any border agents would take part in enforcement of this. Regardless of that, it's not a matter of if they should enforce it, it's more a matter of should they be able to do so, which is the ridiculous part.

I can't believe this law would make it through either, but I've seen even crazier stuff pass before... -TD

[Seth=L]

I didn't realize there was such a market for smuggling music by foot or automobile into neighboring countries. IMO, this won't happen, because MP3 player manufacturers like Apple probably won't want it to happen and everyone else is just raising an eyebrow as if to say "what, are you serious?".

[satish536]

This is outright ridiculous i doubt this thing would pass.

[Clint DeBoer]

I would venture to say that a lot of these agents wouldn't even know how to use half of these devices anyway.

"Confiscate" them... they'd make great Christmas presents...

[Pyrrho]

I can't see this ever happening, it's just do ridiculous. Even if it did pass, how many of the border patrol agents do you think are actually going to take the time to enforce it. I would venture to say that a lot of these agents wouldn't even know how to use half of these devices anyway.

What would probably happen, if such a thing were enacted, is that border guards would search your stuff if they did not like you for some reason. It would be impossible for them to actually search everyone for all this stuff, so there would be unequal treatment of people at border crossings.

I suggest that you always be polite to border guards, and hope that they have not been having a bad day, or are prejudiced against people like you for some reason (or no reason worthy of the name).

A lot of people probably are not concerned about this, as they think it won't happen, or if it does, that it will not affect them. That kind of attitude, of course, makes it more likely that it will happen.

[Wayde Robson]

I agree, it's just another ground under which they can go after you for whatever reason they want to give you problems crossing the border.

If you look anything like the drummer from the J. Giles Band, I'm sorry sir but your iPod is being thoroughly inspected.

[tomd51]

If anybody in the J. Geils Band is going to be searched, it's gonna be Magic D:ck. He could hide a pot roast in that 'fro... -TD

[mouettus]

Whoop! There it is!