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[Statik]

So a new bill was signed by our idiot-in-charge, that, simply put, allows the government to seize or hold items used in the theft.  Additionally, a "Copyright Czar" is to be named to handle these matters.  Both the department of congress and the department of justice criticized the bill in its route to the desk of the president. 

Concerns arise over the fact that the law may be abused in similar ways to the Forfeiture laws for drug cases, which basically allow them to take things of value (including your home) if you are caught with drugs and a third party claims you are a dealer.

article: http://torrentfreak.com/president-bush-signs-anti-piracy-czar-law-081014/

PCWorld: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/152214/bush_enacts_proip_antipiracy_law.html

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE49C7EI20081013?rpc=64

In the only "good" part of this, the measure that wouldve made the DOJ pro-bono lawyers for the entertainment industries was removed from the bill.

Rick Cotton, general counsel for NBC Universal, said the bill would give movie and music makers more tools to fight what he called a "tidal wave" of counterfeiting and piracy of everything from medical devices to automobile parts to media by organized crime.

"That is at the core of what this discussion is about," he said. "It is not about teenagers."

In other news, Rick Cotton, general counsel for NBC, is an idiot.

"This bill truly is music to the ears of all those who care about strengthening American creativity and jobs. At a critical economic juncture, this bipartisan legislation provides enhanced protection for an important asset that helps lead our global competitiveness," Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the RIAA said in a statement following PRO-IP's passage in the Senate.

Translation:  We want more money.

[Roivas]

I don't think there's much to be concerned about, in North Dakota its illegal to wear your boots in bed and cohabitation of unmarried people of opposite genders is as well. There are a lot of stupid, fucked up, impossible to enforce, and useless laws that people ignore constantly. This is the only federal law that has recently been passed that will be ignored by 99% of the population.

I only steal music myself, but I think http://xkcd.com/488/xkcd got it right on.

[Statik]

The problem is, the law is enforceable / usable.

One of the things discussed in one of the articles is how the drug forfeiture laws are abused. 
In the case of drugs, all they need to seize your property is A: catch you with an amount of drugs (I dont know if its possible for them to use forfeiture laws on someone who has something as small as a joint aka "personal use" I doubt it, but I wouldnt be surprised either) and B: someone to claim you are a dealer.  They can take your property then, before you are proven guilty.  Then, even if you prove in court you arent a dealer, you still have to go through legal hell to get your property back, it doesn't just get magically given back.

Considering with the MPAA / RIAA basically saying "We can't actually get definitive proof, but we are going to sue anyway."  (I can't find the source for that comment, it was slightly more in depth than that, but that was the intent), and the current state of the drug forfeiture laws, I'm curious to see how long before someone gets the computer taken on the grounds that it MIGHT have been used for file sharing.

I hardly think this is in the same boat as century old "crazy" laws.