Addy wrote:We may have freedom to view what we want, but artists/authors/creators or loved ones thereof have just as much freedom to charge us for viewing.
Absolutely true, not one thing wrong with your post.
However, you seem to be forgetting one thing: The industries and politicians are pushing this, not the artists/authors/creators, as you put it.
Some, I'm sure are fine with it, but many others see these bills for what they are: The first step towards the death of freedom.
There are other options to stop piracy, they say, so why haven't they pushed forward and made those work? Oh, that's right. That would require effort on their part and they dang sure ain't gonna do that when they could just flip a switch.
Artists have found success and an audience through legitimate torrents through bittorrent. Artists have found success through Napster, before and after it was legal.
Illegal sources will go first, that's fine, really it is. Problem is, they won't stop at that. Soon, they'll find ways to tighten their noose and go after legal sources because they didn't do this or that.
It's all about control, it's all about money, it's not about protecting IP or stopping piracy for the right reasons, it's all about cold. hard. cash. If they control all the entertainment, they control the flow of money, and if you had that kind of power, wouldn't you stick it to the little man?
Sometimes, too much is exactly that...too much.