Next time you stream a live sporting event on your computer while at work, you may be committing a felony act. A new law being pushed by the Obama administration and the U.S. Senate will make the streaming of copyrighted material a punishable offense that could bring with it a jail term of up to five years.
Up until now, the streaming of copyrighted material over the Internet was a murky arena. It is currently a felony to download or upload any copyrighted material, but streaming is not really illegal.This new Commercial Felony Streaming Act bill, which make it illegal to stream “10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, or 1 or more copyrighted works,” will place illegal streaming in the same light as illegal downloading.
If this bill becomes law, sites like Justin.tv that stream content for profit will fall under much heavier scrutiny, while sites that "stream videos without intending to profit" will be exempt. Enjoy it while you can.
[CNET via DVICE]
