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Pop megastar Michael Jackson has spoken out against new legislation that would make it a federal felony to download copyrighted material.

The bill, called the Authors, Consumer and Computer Owners Protection and Security Act of 2003 is under consideration by the House of Representatives. It was proposed by congressmen John Conyers (R-Michigan), Jr. and Howard Berman (R-California).

Approval of this measure would make downloading copyrighted material from the Internet a crime punishable by prison time.

Seeks Balance

Jackson is emphatic in his opposition to the act.

"I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music," the singer said. "It is wrong to illegally download, but the answer cannot be jail."

Jackson called on artists, the music industry, and consumers to find a solution together.

"Here in America we create new opportunities out of adversity, not punitive laws," Jackson said. "We should look to new technologies, like Apple's new ITunes Music Store, for solutions. This way innovation continues to be the hallmark of America."

Jackson's aversion to punishing downloaders of digital music is in opposition to earlier high-profile comments from the music industry. Members of the rock band Metallica led a crusade against the early peer-to-peer file-sharing site Napster, even testifying in Congress against downloadable music.

Sites Still Popular

Digital downloads are acquiring currency, with host of vendors, including Amazon.com and Buy.com, launching or preparing to launch digital music download services. A legal music buying system is emerging.

Despite Apple's success with its ITunes Music Store, the market is still in its infancy. Billboard this week published its first digital-downloads chart. The top track in the chart won on just 1500 sales, while the tenth-placed song earned 500 downloads. This indicates that digital-music buyers purchase a wide spectrum of music, possibly unavailable in any but the largest brick-and-mortar music retail outlets.

"It is incumbent upon record labels and music retailers, however, to really listen to the concerns of music buyers, in order to provide them with the kind of music product they're willing to pay for," concluded a recent study by the NPD Group.

Jackson invoked the customers in his passionate opposition to the ACCOPS Act. He noted, "It is the fans that drive the success of the music business; I wish this would not be forgotten."

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