Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-2752
Sponsor: Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-14]
Introduced: 2003-07-16 in the House
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Arts, Culture, Religion
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Computer crimes
Computer networks
Computer security measures
Computer software
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer education
Copyright
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal investigation
Criminal justice information
Economics and Public Finance
Evidence (Law)
Federal aid to law enforcement
Fines (Penalties)
Fraud
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Intellectual property
International Affairs
International cooperation
Internet
Law
Motion pictures
Names
Prosecution
Right of privacy
Science, Technology, Communications
Video tape recording
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-16
text: 
Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act of 2003 - Amends Federal law to require the National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council to develop guidelines to ensure that its component members share among themselves law enforcement information related to infringement of U.S. copyrighted work.
 
Requires the Attorney General to report biannually (currently, annually) to specified congressional committees on criminal copyright cases.
 
Requires the Attorney General, subject to specified limitations, to provide to a foreign authority evidence to assist it in: (1) determining whether a person has violated any of the copyright laws administered or enforced by the foreign authority; and (2) enforcing such laws.
 
Establishes criminal penalties for the unauthorized placing of a copyrighted work on a computer network accessible to members of the public who are able to copy the work through such access.
 
Establishes criminal penalties for any person who knowingly offers for download over the Internet enabling software (that, when installed on the user's computer, enables third parties to store data on that computer, or use that computer to search other computers' contents over the Internet) without warning any person downloading such software that it could create a security and privacy risk for the user's computer, and without obtaining the user's prior consent.
 
Establishes criminal penalties for persons who: (1) provides knowingly and intentionally fraudulent information in registering domain name; or (2) willfully infringe a copyright by the unauthorized reproduction or recording of a motion picture as it is being performed or displayed in a motion picture theater.
 
Declares that the knowing and intentional provision of material and misleading false contact information to a domain name registrar, domain name registry, or other domain name registration authority in registering such domain shall be considered evidence of willfulness regarding infringements committed by the domain name registrant through the use of such domain.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-09-04
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
action_date: 2003-07-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1496)
action_date: 2003-07-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2003-07-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-07-16
text: Introduced in House