CNET: House panel OKs copyright, spyware bills

The House Judiciary Committee voted through the anti-spyware bill designed in part to head of the slash-and-burn "Bono Bill" spyware legislation that would have limited the use of certain web design methods, even for legal uses. The bill does not go lightly on spyware purveyors, instituting for the first time criminal penalties, including prison time. The Justice Department would be tasked with enforcement. The Committee also passed on to the full House a copyright bill that would make illegal file sharing a criminal offense, punishable by three years in jail.

Both bills can now be scheduled for a vote by the full House, and potentially married to similar Senate bills. If they pass, the President must sign them before they become law. The timing of the debate makes it difficult to tell whether or not these bills would be put before the current Bush Administration or that of whoever wins November's election.