Let's explore victory by the RIAA/MPAA

So let's assume the music and movie industries achieve total victory in the halls of Congress and get the laws passed that they want.  What will that look like?

First, your internet connection will always be monitored by your Internet Service Provider to make sure you're not up to no good.

Theoretically, at least, this would be a major break from, say, the way telephone service has been conducted in modern times.   Sure, in the old days Sally down at the switchboard might listen in to your phone call, and sure, it was always technologically possible for Ma Bell to do the same in later years.  Still, there were laws protecting your privacy in the use of this major national infrastructure.

Now that infrastructure is dramatically more productive, and we are removing that expectation of privacy.

In truth, I think it's the one-to-many speaking power that terrifies various entrenched powers--Hollywood merely the most publicly active in fighting it.

The laws that they are passing have little respect for due process.  So a cocaine-addled Hollywood producer and his teenage hacker programmer could easily get your internet access revoked when you've done nothing at all wrong.

Yes, I am suggesting they are incompetent to run this regime.

Who would you trust to run it?

Second, we'll be seeing more and more attempts to lock you out of controlling your own computer hardware.  The reason for this is that ultimately, that is the only way to make sure you are not copying copyrighted files on your computer.

This is already common in cell phones (you know, the computers of the future), although, amazingly, even the most hamhanded device makers are starting to come around to not doing that.

They would not do this without large customer backlash, so I am encouraged that ordinary folks (as opposed to techies) are starting to intuitively understand the issue.  But there's still a long way to go, there....

Lastly, you'll see the costs of all entertainments go up, as they succeed in controlling your ability to do things on the internet, including pirating their material.

Oh wait, that's happening anyway.  Doh!