On March 21, 2002, U.S. Senator Ernest Hollings introduced S. 2048, the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (CBDTPA).
The legislation requires all devices that can retrieve, copy or display copyrighted digital works to follow certain copy-protection rules encoded in digital content. Making or selling new hardware or software that does not conform to the copy protection mandates would be treated as a felony punishable by up to five years in jail and $500,000 in fines. Tampering with the copy protection measures is also forbidden by the legislation.
USACM Letter to Senator Hollings Regarding the CBDTPA. March 29, 2002
ACM Member Net Article on CBDTPA
