Well, that’s convenient. According to Wired , the FBI Anti-Piracy label, heretofore only approved for use by members of trade associations like the Recording Industry Association of America, Business Software Alliance, Entertainment Software Association, Software & Information Industry Association, and the Motion Picture Association of America, will now be fair game for any copyright holder — even casual bloggers and maintainers of websites about their cats who feel strongly that their intellectual property not be compromised.
In its original statement, the FBI called the measure a warning to “users of copyrighted media about the potential consequences of intellectual property crime, and the FBI’s role in investigating such crime. It serves as a vivid and widely recognizable reminder of the FBI’s authority and mission with respect to the protection of intellectual property rights.” But does the label actually do anything to limit piracy, or is this widening of the field a sign that the insignia has lost all meaning? Don’t people who are downloading or copying movies or other content illegally already know that they are doing just that, label or no label? Let us know what you think in the comments!
[via Boing Boing]