July 23, 2003 - Michael’s Statement on the New Congressional Bill

Michael Jackson says Congress should not pass a law that would send music fans to prison for illegally downloading music over the Internet. He expressed his concern about the approval of a proposed new bill that would prosecute anyone for downloading any music under copy right protection. In a statement released on Monday, Jackson said "I don’t know what to say about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. Downloading is wrong, but the answer can’t be jail. Here in America we’re creating opportunities for the production side, not punitive laws. It’s these fans who make the success of the music industry possible, and I hope that doesn’t get forgotten." He urged artists, the music industry, and consumers to find a better solution to this problem.