Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), ranking Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have joined together for an anti-piracy ad featured in this week’s Billboard magazine (issue date: March 6, street date: Feb. 28).
The ad is part of Billboard’s anti-piracy campaign, which donates ad space in the magazine for artists and music-industry executives to endorse legal music downloading and speak out against piracy and illicit peer-to-peer file-sharing.
“It is imperative that we educate consumers that when they download music illegally, they risk thousands of dollars in civil penalties and possible criminal prosecution,” says Hatch in a statement. “Stealing music may also be jeopardizing the future of our economy and our domestic job market.”