News: A legal hack? Only in America
Could record and music executives who take advantage of the hacking provisions of a proposed U.S. bill face stiff penalties if they travel to countries that outlaw computer break-ins? Possibly.

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., has pushed a measure that would allow intellectual property owners to use technical measures to prevent copyright infringement. These measures include spoofing--the seeding of file-swapping networks with false versions of songs--and hacking into sharing systems. The proposal has already come under fire from critics, who fear it would encourage corporate vigilantism. It may also put some entertainment industry folks squarely in the crosshairs of a complex web of inconsistent international and local laws that has already entangled executives, including former Yahoo CEO Tim Koogle.

For example, Australia's legal code contains a provision allowing a sentence of up to six months in jail if a person breaks into a computer system without legal authority. On Tuesday, Melbourne's The Age newspaper ran a story saying American executives could be banned from entering the country or face jail time if they employ the bill's hacking provisions.
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