Australia Marching To Uncle Sams iPod.

[KiwiAlan]

From the Adelaider Advertiser

INGA GILCHRIST
July 28, 2008 03:10pm
MUSIC fans might soon have their iPods searched by Customs officers at airport checks - and face jail if pirated music is found on them.

The push for the unprecedented searches of travellers’ laptops and MP3 players has been revealed in a leaked discussion paper relating to a treaty being negotiated by the Federal Government.

It suggests criminal sanctions for infringements on a commercial scale.

That meant innocent pop and rock fans with huge song libraries could unwittingly be hit with jail for commercial piracy, according to Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos.

"It talks about (sanctions for) commercial infringements – does that mean one, 10, 20 or 1000 songs," he asked.

"It could be that people get sent to jail for being in possession of commercial-scale quantities of copied music.’’

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith’s office has confirmed the Government was a part of negotiations for the international agreement, but Australia had not signed nor agreed to any aspect.

Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn said: "Searching into people’s iPods is out of order.

"We don’t need to suffer draconian regimes to protect intellectual property.

"US music labels are keen for their government to sign up other countries to the zero-tolerance stance."


What next! Will police set up music checkpoints on highways?

Watch out for the iPod sniffer dogs!

[Richard Palmer]

From the Adelaider Advertiser

INGA GILCHRIST
July 28, 2008 03:10pm
MUSIC fans might soon have their iPods searched by Customs officers at airport checks - and face jail if pirated music is found on them.

It'll never happen. First, where are all the extra staff suddenly going to come from? Second, how do you prove a track is illegally copied or downloaded?

Sounds like a wind-up to me.

[Luuk]

Customs at Dutch Airports checks for pirated watches, jewelry, t-shirts and other clothing, et cetera.
If people bought an Armani t-shirt in Taiwan or a brand watch and they enter The Netherlands they get a fine and the goods are confiscated.
Mind you, if you bought some used LP's while on holiday in the USA you have to pay import duties over the "new LP" value even though the $ 0.25 stickers are attached to the sleeve and you can show a receipt for that price too.
Someone has to pay the luxury lifestyle of the rulers!