SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Compiling your favorite tunes or a photo slide show on a compact disc could no longer be possible if the backers of a proposed federal copy-control bill prevail.

The draft legislation would require nearly all digital electronic devices from PCs to digital camcorders to contain a lock of sorts that restricts the copying of music or movies.

The goal, say proponents led by the entertainment industry, would be to block piracy and the Napster-like ability to make unlimited copies of digital content.

The effect, others say, would be a loss of freedom for consumers, a stifling of innovation in the technology industry and a violation of the "fair use" provision traditionally enjoyed under federal copyright law.

"It would in essence turn your PC into only a VCR playback machine, and you wouldn't have the capabilities to move digital content around like you do today, like burning a CD, e-mailing a digital picture, or saving a trailer clip of a movie," said P.J. McNealy, research director for the Gartner G2 firm. "It's a Draconian bill that would grind digital distribution to a near-halt."

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-S.C., could be introduced within a month.

Under the proposal, dubbed the Security Systems Standards and Certification Act, any "interactive digital device" sold in the United States would have to include a technology that prevents users from making multiple copies of copyright material.

Hollings says he wants to spur the high-tech and entertainment industries to reach a resolution after seven years of disagreement over copy controls.

Piracy 'corrodes' creativity

Supporters of the measure contend they need tough piracy controls to protect copyrights -- and their profits -- in a world where digital information can easily be copied, sent across networks and burned onto a disc.

"It is this infection which corrodes the future of creative works," Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, told the committee.

But opponents say that by making it impossible for consumers to make personal copies of digital content -- for backups or for playback on other devices -- the bill would violate the "fair use" provision of federal copyright law.