Sharing music will land you in jail...

According to the DOJ, they will start enforcing the The No Electronic Theft or NET act. Under the NET Act, signed by President Clinton in 1997, it is a federal crime to share copies of copyrighted products such as software, movies or music with anyone, even friends or family members, if the value of the work exceeds $1,000. Violations are punishable by one year in prison, or if the value tops $2,500, "not more than five years" in prison.

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/17-18red.htm

According to a CNet article... http://news.com.com/2100-1023-954591.html?tag=fd_top

Swapping files in violation of the law has always been a civil offense, and the RIAA and the Motion Picture Association of America have the option of suing individual infringers and seeking damages...

..."Most parents would be horrified if they walked into a child's room and found 100 stolen CDs...However, these same parents think nothing of having their children spend time online downloading hundreds of songs without paying a dime."

Click to expand...

Will this all be moot when "Fair Use" laws are repealed and ownership of Music and Video remains with their owners?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0819/p14s01-wmcn.html

Either way, there is a huge change brewing in the Justice Department and it might be everyone who gets caught in the middle...