File Share Dine N Dash

The Tennessee recording industry – a major taxpayer in the state – is waiting for Gov. Bill Haslam to sign a bill that would likely hamper illegal file sharing.

The bill expands an existing law to prosecute people who steal cable television or “dine and ditch” at restaurants, adding “entertainment subscription service” to the list of services protected by law.

The measure would make it a crime to use a friend’s login – even with permission – to listen to songs or watch movies from services such as Netflix or Rhapsody.

The law is not expected to affect family living under the same roof but to dissuade college students from sharing their passwords with a whole floor of a dormitory.

Tennessee would become the first state to update its theft-of-cable laws, according to the RIAA. Stealing $500 or less of entertainment would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Theft of more than $500 would be a felony.