Actually, this is good, trust me
Why is this a GOOD thing?
1: this castrates the RIAA. With an oficial body of enforecement, the RIAA will have to process all activity through this agency, and they would be subject to harassment suits from individuals if they did not.
2: the taxpayer will be footing the legal bill. No, this is actually GOOD. ...because they will not be able to a) go after people that they "think" are guilty because of the immense, million dollar, countersuits there will be if they're found innocent, b) since there's no budget for enforcement in the bill, it will be both low priority/high reward only prosecution.
3: Do you see the government kicking down doors and seizing property of pot smokers, casual drug users, illegal gun owners, etc? no. They only do after the dealers, big time distributors, and true dangerous persons. Why? a) they can recoup damages, fines, and/or property to pay the excessive legal bills, or b) the community actually agrees the expense is worth the effort because it removes the risk of violent crime, and c) manpoewr is limted. Do you think the agency will blow $30-50K in legal fees and manpower to seize a kids's PC, to do what, fine him a few grand he can't afford to pay? Keep in mind, the bulk of offenders do not own property. If you ask a cop in your neighborhood if they now a particluar person doesn drugs, usually the answer is "yes, we're aware" but the do nothing, because the effor to tdo so, even for a CLEAR CUT, easily provable guilty conviction, is simply not worth disrupting the commuity until the kid actually becomes an issue (drives stoned, gets in fights, robs someone, etc). Shit, I know a dozen cops who smoke pot...
This agency will almost exclusively start by targeting corporations, and anyone who PROFITS from sharing. After 5-10 years of that, with an occasional bust for nothing more than publicity ("we'd like to announce our largest every piracy bust... " etc.) maybe we'll see some actual local activity. With this bill passed, the ONLY thing the RIAA will be able to do is complain to the govenment about their lack of action, and continue their media war, but their ability to investigate and prosecute will be gone.
...and for those where guilt is assured, for those who are big time file traders and stealing hundreds or thousands of files, and if the government does see cause to get the warrent and proceed, if and when the person gets caught, convicted, and punished, well, they did afterall break the law... I can't have sympaty for them.
Will this agency even care about casul infringement? copying DVDs you own for your own uses, downloading a few songs you used to own, or have on tape but not digital format? no. They really can't be bothered with it. If they did care, do you think there would be so many people on the road with valid licenses without car insurance? Estimates place approxamately 30% of south carolina drivers as un or underinsured and driving illegally. They get a slap on the rist, a fine, and a license suspension when they get caught, pay their dues, and typically, do it again... When the cops have reason to target you for another crime, IP violations will just be another item on the stack against you, and typically not the key crime unless you;re a really agressive (and careless) offender.
Fact is, even if they can connect uploads and downloads to you, it;s simply too easy to defeat the case in court, too easy to introduce doubt. To get a conviction, the evidence is going to have to be especially damning, and in court, odds are half the people on the jury will actually be guilty themselves, and leaning in your favor...