A while ago I posted about copyright fascism, reproducing an disturbing email that being circulated around Spain. The email implied that copyright law was so strict in Spain that offenders were liable for bigger punishments than rapists and thieves.

I asked around about this and received some very interesting comments back from Cory Doctorow (EFF guru), Javier Candeira (copyfight activist), Javier de la Cueva, and David Bravo (both Spanish lawyers, with expertise in copyright issues).

It turns out the email is text taken from David Bravo’s e-book, "Copia este Libro" (Copy this Book). It’s a free download you can pick up here.

The passages taken from the book are a tongue-in-cheek interpretation of actual Spanish law taken from the point of view of the music industry.

Apparently in Spain, the organizations representing the music industry have been holding "seminars" and "workshops" to *educate* judges about why say, downloading an mp3 is the same kind of thing as robbing a bank.

Unbelievable! We all know how special interests have become very skilled at lobbying the legislative branch of government to get unfair favours, protection, subsidies, etc. But this is the first time I’ve ever heard of special intrests lobbying the judiciary branch of government!

That’s pretty scary. If I have to go to court for some reason, it wouldn’t inspire confidence in the fairness of the law to know that the judge presiding my case could have been "educated" by special interest groups.

Thanks for the info, Cory, Javier, Javier, and David!