"Speechless" recording artist says it"s bad, dangerous and off the wall to turn fans into smooth criminals
Music legend Michael Jackson has described himself as "speechless" that users of internet file sharing services may face jail if new laws are introduced in the US. Internet users who swap music could fall foul of the US government"s proposed Authors, Consumer and Computer Owners Protection and Security Act of 2003 (ACCOPS), recently introduced in the House of Representatives, the US government"s lower house.
If passed, the legislation would make it a serious offence to download even one single copyrighted work, including music, with proposed fines of up to $250,000 and up to five years in prison as punishment. "I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. It is wrong to illegally download, but the answer cannot be jail," said Jackson in a statement.