A bill that would make it a felony to stream pirated content, S. 978, is back in the news, but don't worryit won't land Justin Bieber in jail.

A bill that would make it a felony to stream pirated content is back in the news, with a Texas congressman rumored to be introducing a House version of the legislation tomorrow. But contrary to what one group suggests, it will not result in prison time for Justin Bieber.

The Commercial Felony Streaming Act, or S. 978, would clarify that whether you stream that pirated episode of "Boardwalk Empire" or download it, it's still illegal. But the bill would only target those serving up the illegal content, not those who watch it online.

Violations could result in fines or land offenders in jail for five years if they stream 10 or more TV shows or movies in a 180-day period, provided the retail value is more than $2,500 and the licenses are worth more than $5,000.

The bill was introduced in May by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and was in June, but has not yet seen any further action. According to reports, however, Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, will unveil a companion bill to S. 978 on Wednesday. His office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

S. 978 made headlines today thanks to FreeBieber.org, a Web site set up by Fight for the Future that said the bill would affect people who posted YouTube videos of themselves singing copyrighted materialjust like pop star Justin Bieber.

"But wait... didn't Justin Bieber get famous by posting YouTube videos of himself singing copyrighted R&B songs? Yep. If this bill passes, he could get 5 years in jail," according to the site.

Intellectual property lawyer Terry Hart disagreed. "The individuals behind the 'Free Bieber' campaign are either completely ignorant about how copyright law works or being deliberately disingenuous to stir up opposition against a minor, albeit judicious, piece of legislation. Anyone who uploads video to YouTube faces no increased risk of criminal penalties if this bill passes," he wrote in a blog post. "Justin Bieber is not going to jail."

Bill co-sponsor Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, pointed out in May that the legislation "does not apply to individuals who view streamed contentonly to individuals and sites providing the streamed content."

Singing along to a song on a YouTube video constitutes fair use in most cases. Several years ago, Stephanie Lenz posted a video to YouTube that featured her young children dancing in the family's kitchen to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." Universal Music, which owns the rights to the Prince song, contacted YouTube and demanded that it remove the video for copyright violations. Lenz sued and said it constituted fair useand won. In August 2008, that content owners must consider fair use before sending DMCA takedown notices.

In March, the Office of U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator released a report that, among other things, recommended that Congress approve legislation that would clarify that infringement by streaming is a felony.

At this point, it's only a felony if someone illegally reproduces, downloads, or distributes copyrighted works; streaming is not addressed.

"To ensure that federal copyright law keeps pace with infringers, and to ensure that DOJ and U.S. law enforcement agencies are able to effectively combat infringement involving new technology, the Administration recommends that Congress clarify that infringement by streaming, or by means of other similar new technology, is a felony in appropriate circumstances," the report said.