Critics say it is a chilling proposal, but if the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act, currently in the Senate, were to become law, manufacturers of digital-music devices could be held liable for illegal downloading of music.
Forty-two tech companies, including Google, Yahoo, Cnet and Intel, have signed a letter denouncing the proposed legislation.
The author of the bill, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, is requesting hearings on music downloading and who should bear the liability of damages caused by music piracy.
Last year, Hatch suggested that one remedy to the problem would be to develop technology that would destroy the hard drives of offending users remotely. He later backed off his extreme stance when it was discovered that his own computers were powering his Web site with unlicensed software.
I hereby nominate the Inducing Infringment of Copyright Act as the stupidest idea of the week. Details here from Yahoo! News.