I normally try to stay clear of political discussions on this site. But recent comments by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) caught my eye. I was startled to read his apparently serious suggestion that copyright holders should be allowed to reach out over the Internet and destroy the computers of those who download illegal copies of music or movies.
Oops. It turns out that Sen. Hatch’s Web site is using an unlicensed copy of a JavaScript-based menuing program, and if the Honorable Senator were to extend his ill-tempered thoughts to software, the server hosting his Web site would be a pile of smoking rubble right now. (For details see the Wired News article Orrin Hatch: Software Pirate?)
Now, as someone who makes a living selling copyrighted materials (the meager commissions I make when you buy my books from Amazon.com pay for the hosting of this site), you’d think I would be at least a little bit on Sen. Hatch’s side. And I do agree that most programs like the defunct Napster and Kazaa are simply ill-disguised tools for wholesale theft of intellectual property. But someone needs to tell Sen. Hatch that this is the 21st Century, and that he’s not in the Wild West anymore.