Was Congress really going to pass a bill making it impossible

[question everything]

to skip ads on DVDs?

I've heard something this morning but did not get the full story. I think that this is outrageous but then, again, who said that we can be secure in doing what we want in our own houses?

We have a 10-year old VCR that is programmed to quickly skip the commercials, but now it appears that some manage to escape this screening. And I wonder whether one can still buy a unit like that.

[Wonk]

1. TiVo (DVRs, not DVDs), and I don't know if Congress had any involvment

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/18/technology/tivo.reut/

http://news.google.com/news?q=TiVo

[question everything]

3. Found it

under the proposed language, viewers would not be allowed to use software or devices to skip commericals or promotional announcements "that would otherwise be performed or displayed before, during or after the performance of the motion picture," like the previews on a DVD. The proposed law also includes language from the Pirate Act (S2237), which would permit the Justice Department to file civil lawsuits against alleged copyright infringers.

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65704,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2

[WildClarySage]

4. File lawsuits??? but ...

*sputter* frivilous... *sputter* tort... *cough hack* reform...

[Wonk]

5. Time for TiVo users to start considering FreeVo, imho

http://www.powerpage.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/powerpage.woa/wa/story?newsID=12710

http://freevo.sourceforge.net/
http://www.google.com/search?q=FreeVo

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

2. This law is so ridiculous, I'm actually convinced that

some in Congress are actually crazy enough to try and pass this thing. There goes our privacy rights.