If you've ever taped a "Seinfeld" episode or traded music online, Uncle Sam may want you--to stop.
Draft legislation that is winding its way through Congress would sharply limit Americans' rights relating to copying music, taping TV shows and transferring files through the Internet. The first part of their proposal, which would limit backup copies, has drawn objections from academics and nonprofit groups that have reviewed it.
Under current copyright law, Americans who record a TV program or radio segment generally may "sell or otherwise dispose of" that analog recording or digital file as they wish.
The proposed bill would end that exemption, handing copyright owners substantial new control over the distribution of their works by curtailing a consumer's right to copy material under a doctrine known as "fair use."
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