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1. Put cd in regular CD player.
2. Cable from line-out of CD player to line-in jack of sound-card
3. Start sound-to-wav converter and CD player.
4. Encode wav to mp3.

That's part of the reason there is the DMCA and the possibly-soon-to-be SSSCA. To make skipping commercials illegal. (*) Heck, with DVDs it is illegal to make a player that lets you skip unskippable ads - you either have to violate the CSS license or implement CSS yourself, which is a DMCA violation.

(*) It won't strictly be illegal - that would raise an outcry. Just that getting around the technology that stops you would be an illegal "act of circumvention". That way anyone that tries to give you control could be painted as an "evil hacker", likewise for anyone using any circumvention methods.

After all, only "evil people" try to make the computer do anything it isn't designed for, or do anything the computer tries to prohibit. The machine is "always right", since the "nice" corporations made them.

(The above was heavily laced with sarcasm - obviously I am oppossed to DMCA/SSSCA).

IBM and Intel both support Linux, but also support fair-use restriction technologies (which subject one to the DMCA) that hurt Linux.

How about anti-dcma.org? The freesklyarov.org website (protests today btw, check it out) has a whole page of articles about the DMCA, including statements from Rep. Rick Boucher, and Brad Templeton (head of the EFF).

I'm all for action. If it gets bad enough, I say we resort to busting crackers out of jail and straight-out open resistance.

Arrogance - Most people are not willing to go to jail for this.

Ignorance - Most people aren't aware of the DMCA and how it affects everyone.

Apathy - Most people figure that the DMCA doesn't really affect them, since they wouldn't try and circumvent copyright protection anyway.

The solution is education. People need to get off their asses and educate their friends, neighbors, and colleagues about the problems with the DMCA, and what they need to do to help.

I'm all for action. If it gets bad enough, I say we resort to busting crackers out of jail and straight-out open resistance.

Arrogance - Most people are not willing to go to jail for this.

Ignorance - Most people aren't aware of the DMCA and how it affects everyone.

Apathy - Most people figure that the DMCA doesn't really affect them, since they wouldn't try and circumvent copyright protection anyway.

The solution is education. People need to get off their asses and educate their friends, neighbors, and colleagues about the problems with the DMCA, and what they need to do to help.

You own a patent, you get the tech. to become widely accepted then you crack down by sending nasty letters to everyone.

Don't think it could happen. Humm, the DMCA is a law created to make sure it does. Corporate interests are suddenly creating the future, not the acedemics and scientists. No, like Professor Felten, they are threatened.

So, support Ogg, GNU and everyone else who is protecting your Freedom. There is a larger purpose to their work which most people are just discovering.

Freedom you say? Yes, Freedom, look at Dmitry Sklyarov -- he sat in jail...

Pay-per-view books?
http://www.anti-dmca.org

Another link of interest is the Anti-DMCA website. It is a good thing to share this link with friends that know nothing about this issue.

I was surprised at the number of people I know who didn't know anything on the subject, in most cases they hadn't even heard of the DMCA. You will probably find the same thing if your friends aren't /. readers.

www.anti-dmca.org
eurorights.org

The MPAA, RIAA, and closed source software houses have their customers over a barrel. For many of us, going to the movies, buying or renting a DVD, getting a CD from your favorite band, or buying a computer game is a way of getting a source of entertaiment. Unfortunately, purchasing these products gives companies the ammunition they use to pass laws such as the DMCA. These companies can then use these laws to beat us (the consumers) over the head. Why do we let them continue? What can we, as consumers, do to keep our money from being used against us?

A possible solution is something you can do every day, starting right now. Every DVD you buy, every game you purchase, every visit to a movie theater, every CD you buy, add $5 to the cost. In many cases, this amounts to between 10% (a $50 game) to 50% ($9.99 DVD) of the cost of the item you purchases. Given the way prices work, the original price from the manufacturer is about 50% of the price you pay, so a $50 game is sold initially for about $25. Once you pay licenses, royalties, production, etc. there probably is not much left over that goes to lobbyists or legal. Thus, you are giving a larger amount of money to defeat these laws than you are "giving" to get them enacted.

What do you do with that $5? Donate it to the organization of your choice. Currently, the Electronic Frontier Foundataionis in the forefront of these kinds of issues, but you can choose whomever you like.

What good will your $5 do? Simply put, the EFF needs money. Money to pay for lawyers, money to educate people why these laws are wrong, money to defend those accused of crimes that violate the first amendment of the US Constitution. Since it is effectively increasing the cost of DVDs, CDs, etc., it will also make you think twice about your entertainment choices and maybe even save you money over the long run.

Okay, I have $5. Now what? Save it up. Make a notation somewhere. At the end of the month, end of the quarter, whenever, add up the notations and send the appropriate amount of money to the organization of your choice. In many cases, the money you send is tax-deductible (consult your accontant blah blah)