The Electronic Frontier Foundation points out that Consumer Electronics Association started running this ad in two Capitol Hill publications today. The ad reads:

New technologies let us enjoy lawfully acquired music when and where we want. But some real pirates at the record labels want to stop Americans from using new products for noncommercial purposes in the privacy of their own homes or on the go.

Under proposed legislation, the most basic and well-established consumer practices such as creating a "my favorites" play list from your satellite radio program or recording free over-the-air radio could be outlawed.

Stop this unprecedented government intrusion into your private, noncommercial and legitimate home entertainment practices.

Tell the record labels to start cracking down on real pirates, not consumers.

It's not like they'll be very hard to spot in a crowd. The eye patch and parrot are a dead giveaway.

I am a bit confused though — if the real pirates are at the record labels, it seems unlikely the record labels will crack down on themselves.

I think the real issue here is that something has to be done about the pirates' ships. Without ships, pirates are much less of a threat. I say impound them and be done with it. There might be a few cutlass incidents in waterfront taverns but that would be a fair price to pay for securing the passage of compact disc shipments on the high seas.