«The dramatic tightening of export regulations is included in the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual military funding bill that has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Though the proposed rules are only a tiny portion of the 630-page bill, they could have a devastating impact on the computer industry."It would bring exports to a grinding halt," said Dan Hoydish, director of trade, public policy and government affairs for Unisys and chairman of the Computer Coalition for Responsible Exports, a trade group that counts many major technology companies as members. "We wouldn't be asking for 20 export licenses in a year, we would be asking for 20,000 in a day." »
Remember: if you outlaw P4's, then only terrorists will be able to play Duke Nuke'em 3-D. So far, no word on banning airplanes or box cutters.
Why does Capitol Hill seem to be so good at forgetting that one can buy this stuff from countries other than the US of A? As the article suggests near the bottom, if the US can't sell you your games platform, both Chinas will be more than happy to step in and supply you. Which won't stop anyone getting their first person shooter fix, but will harm the US economy. And presuamably if this law passes as is, every overseas X-Box sale will require a licence?
