Clinton Signs Internet Copyright Bill

President Clinton on Tuesday signed legislation that would allow for punishment of people who post copyrighted works on the Internet, even if they don’t make money off the site.

The measure extends copyright law to permit prosecution of individuals who “with criminal intent” seek to infringe others’ copyrights, whether or not they make money off the posting, said bill sponsor Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).

The bill doesn’t alter the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law, Goodlatte said. Clinton signed the bill, which has been heavily criticized by academic groups, without comment.

Recording and publishing industry leaders had urged Clinton to sign the measure.

The software industry estimates it loses more than $11.2 billion a year to software theft and piracy, not counting hundreds of Web sites that permit anyone with Internet access to download programs for free, said Business Software Alliance spokeswoman Diane Smiroldo.