HOLLYWOOD - Michael Jackson is speaking out against new legislation that would make downloading copyrighted material over the Internet a felony punishable by jail time."I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. It is wrong to download but the answer cannot be jail," Jackson said in a statement. "It is the fans that drive the success of the music business; I wish that would not be forgotten."
Lawmakers introduced the bill currently under consideration, called the Authors, Consumer and Computer Owners Protection and Security Act of 2003, July 16 in the House of Representatives. The act would make downloading songs over the Web a felony offense.
"Here in America we create new opportunities out of adversity, not punitive laws," he said. "We should look to new technologies, like Apple's new Itunes Music Store, for solutions. This way, innovation continues to be the hallmark of America."
Besides Apple, vendors including Amazon.com and Buy.com are preparing to launch digital music download service. But PCWorld.com notes that the digital download market is still in its infancy stage.
The big labels blame illegal music sharing and CD burning piracy the music industry's two-year sales slump. Jackson's record sales have also diminished. According to Nielsen Soundscan, Jackson's 2001 album Invincible, which cost about $30 million to make, has sold only about 2.1 million units in the United States.
The Recording Industry Association of America recently stepped up its fight against illegal music file swapping, winning at least 871 federal subpoenas against computer users suspected of illegally sharing music files on the Internet, with roughly 75 new subpoenas being approved each day. The movement comes just weeks after U.S. appeals court rulings requiring Internet providers to readily identify subscribers suspected of illegally sharing music and movie files