by Stacy Jones on Jul 07, 2011
ECA boss Hal Halpin has some concerns over a new "Anti-Streaming" bill (Bill S.978) that seeks to make those that stream live entertainment media without permission a felony. While a majority of the bill's focus is aimed at preventing piracy for the movie and music industry, Halpin notes that it casts a very wide net, one that could even extend to gamers that stream video of their gameplay over sites like Justin.tv and YouTube. Under the bill, these players could potentially be charged with a felony if the bill passes.
Gamers should most definitely be worried! This bill, as written, will apply to anyone who plays and posts their gameplay online, which is a huge percentage of gamers. It could also apply to pro gamers who stream their gameplay for fans as easily as it applies to companies whose entire existence relies on streaming technology (i.e. Steam, Netflix, Gamefly/D2D, Major League Gaming, EA/Origin, OnLive and Gaikai, etc.).
You can read the full interview with Hal Halpin and find out what you can do to oppose the bill at Destructoid.