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Oxford Yanks Student Page Over Spoof DeCSS

Posted by jamie on from the down-with-cascading-style-sheets dept.

eval writes "A student at Oxford had his page pulled by the computer services group there because he had a spoof DeCSS on his page, and linked to opendvd.org." Once again, the organizations like the MPAA (though Oxford administration did not officially confirm this) get their way simply by sending an official-looking letter. Where are we when universities - the last stronghold of intellectual freedom - excuse their censor-first, ask-questions-later behavior by saying: "We were here to further the aims of the University in Education and Research, not to fight other people's copyright actions"? (more)

The day following the Web page's removal, the school administrator was surprised to learn that the DeCSS his staff yanked had nothing to do with DVDs...

From: Alan Gay <alan@ermine.ox.ac.uk>
Newsgroups: ox.talk
Subject: Re: Deep linking
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 13:14:54 +0100
Organization: Oxford University, England

So, you are saying that all this fuss is because you wanted to wave a red rag at the bull by *pretending* you were offering decss software. The result of this is that the University has spent, and is still spending, a vast amount of administrative effort and lawyers' fees over something that has nothing to do with it, and is just a game to you.

I'll leave others to discuss the sense of that.

10 of 222 comments (clear)

  1. Finally... a story where this is *not* offtopic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5
    and I'm asleep at the keyboard. Doh!

    Oh well... here it is.
    Add your own, and spread this far and wide:

    ftp://ftp.u.washington.edu/public/arobs /css
    ftp://sun.rl.odessa.ua/pub/decss
    http://130.111.75.63:142
    http://216.35.100.9/ma/kdawson/deecessess
    http://24.114.168.235/public/css.htm
    http://24.15.107.67/DeCSS
    http://24.6.244.114/DeCSS
    http://2600.dk/mirrors/css
    http://334.se2600.org
    http://DVDoutrage.Tripod.com
    http://MSD.dyndns.org
    http://alcor.concordia.ca/~sd_fort
    http://amergeisaphreak.netfirms.com
    http://andrewstern.freeservers.com/decss
    http://artun.ee/~rommi/css
    http://benyossef.com/freedom
    http://bigpoppa.adsl.alpha1.net/decss
    http://briefcase.yahoo.com/clcktwr
    http://briefcase.yahoo.com/klflatt
    http://budice.ancients.net/decss
    http://budsmoker.com/sites/decss
    http://bur-jud-118-039.rh.uchicago.edu/d vd
    http://cant-stop-us-all.freehosting.net
    http://chaz.fsgs.com/misc/DvD
    http://chemlab.org/~dvd
    http://cherryville.org/dvd
    http://come.to/intelex
    http://cs.unca.edu/~dillzc/decss
    http://css.choppy.com/data
    http://cssalgorithm.8m.com
    http://cybertrippin.net
    http://cymorg.bizland.com/index2.html
    http://dB.org/dvd
    http://dandruff.cs.unm.edu/~bap/DeCSS
    http://darklord.darkthrone.com/users /smith/dvd
    http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~homeyd/DVD
    http://dcwi.com/~wench/decss
    http://debian.mps.krakow.pl/mirror/css http://decss.8m.com
    http://decss.cx
    http://decss.cyvoid.net
    http://decss.fall0ut.com
    http://decss.freeservers.com
    http://decss.freeshell.org
    http://decss.fzylogic.net
    http://decss.htmlplanet.com
    http://decss.netfirms.com
    http://decss.z-man.org
    http://decss_files.tripod.com
    http://decssmirror.homestead.com
    http://deelbeson.detour.net
    http://dephile.hypermart.net
    http://dephile.hypermart.net/dvdinfo.html
    http://developer.dnepr.net/dvdcss
    http://dialug.org/html/decss.html
    http://dirtass.beyatch.net
    http://dlsf.org
    http://dogh ousepages.lycos.com/collecting/midnightrider/DVDEn crypt.html
    http://donotsueme.freeservers.com
    http://donotsueme.homepage.com
    http://dosdemon.yi.org/decss
    http://dsl129.drizzle.com:2001/downloa ds/DVD
    http://dvd.coolpeople.dhs.org
    http://dvd.k4dwi.net/dvd
    http://dvd.loathe.com
    http://dvdcopy.cjb.net
    http://dvdcrack.homepage.com
    http://dvdcss.newmail.ru
    http://earendel.gt.ed.net/dvd
    http://ebmedia.net/dvd
    http://elknews.netpedia.net/dvd
    http://fairuse.freeservers.com
    http://freedecss.50megs.com
    http://freemymind.homepage.com
    http://freeshell.org/~simm
    http://friko6.onet.pl/war/mkochano
    http://ftp.yodanet.schwaebischhall. de/pub/DeCSS
    http://ftso.org/decss
    http://geocities.com/donquix0te
    http://geocities.com/dontquit222
    http://go.to/decss
    http://go.to/nairos_dvd
    http://hammer.prohosting.com/~deepbleu http://heavymusic.8m.com
    http://heky.org/dc
    http://home.att.net/ ~phreakonaleash/ccs_mirror--screw_the_feds
    http://home.clara.net/bangor/DeCSS
    http://home.cyberarmy.com/drj/DeCSS
    http://home.cyberarmy.com/enac/dvden crypt.html
    http://home.earthlink.net/~kaos_inc
    http://home.earthlink.net/~rocketrob
    http://home.earthlink.net/~snagnbytz
    http://home.monet.no/~christel/dvd.html
    http://home.onestop.net/lakitu/mirror
    http://home.pacbell.net/pfconces
    http://home.postnet.com/~wsl3/DeCSS
    http://home.primus.com.au/ratzmilk
    http://home.rmci.net/bert/dvd
    http://home.rmci.net/bert/fuckthelawyers
    http://home.sol.no/~craphead/DVD
    http://home.worldonline.dk/~loadfree/CSS
    http://homepage.dtn.ntl.com/paul.chan
    http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~cbunton
    http://imezok.tripod.com/Untitled.txt
    http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/dvd
    http://inferno.tusculum.edu/~neil/decss
    http://internettrash.com/users/linuxdvd
    http://intfreedom.homepage.com
    http://io.spaceports.com/~decss
    http://isupport2600.8m.com
    http://jackvalenti-ismyhoe.tripod.com
    http://jadin.virtualave.net
    http://jump.to/decss
    http://jupiter.spaceports.com/~decss
    http://kb5kjn.karco.org/~alpine/DVD
    http://kesagatame.tripod.com
    http://kevins.ne.mediaone.net/~kevins/dvd
    http://killer.radom.net/~shoggoth/dvd.ht ml
    http://linux.uci.agh.edu.pl/~outlaw/ decss.html
    http://loogham.2y.net/decss
    http://magic.hurrah.com/~fireball/dvd
    http://mail.sirak.org
    http://matt.frogspace.net/css
    http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/jwhite80 55/DeCSS
    http://members.home.net/dgweb
    http://members.hometown. aol.com/_ht_a/MysticJTY/myhomepage
    http://members.theglobe.com/Greed yMan/greedy.html
    http://members.tripod.co.uk/SneakyBat
    http://members.tripod.com/donotsueme
    http://members.tripod.com/donquix0te
    http://members.tripod.com/ny2600
    http://members.tripod.com/r-sobin/dvd
    http://members.tripod.com/~Denney/DeCSS
    http://members.tripod.com/~baloney97/dvd
    http://members.tripod.com/~lucvdb/decs s.html
    http://members.tripod.com/~sk8or311
    http://members.xoom.com/CaitSith16/DeC SS.htm
    http://members.xoom.com/LinuxDVD
    http://members.xoom.com/NiKeX
    http://members.xoom.com/amateursoft
    http://members.xoom.com/arjicle
    http://members.xoom.com/chapter3/Mamma No.htm
    http://members.xoom.com/freedvdinfo
    http://members.xoom.com/get_decss
    http://members.xoom.com/iamkeenan/master
    http://members.xoom.com/iox
    http://members.xoom.com/maud123/Home/C SS.htm
    http://members.xoom.com/mogreen/decss
    http://members.xoom.com/nyc2600
    http://members.xoom.com/phireproof
    http://members.xoom.com/s_o_sam/help.html
    http://members1.chello.nl/~o.seibert/DeC SS
    http://merlinjim.freeservers.com/dvd
    http://mikedotd.penguinpowered.com/deccs
    http://mikedotd.penguinpowered.com/decss
    http://mikepark.org
    http://mpaasucks.homepage.com
    http://natara.freeservers.com/decss/ decss.html
    http://ndez.bizland.com/css-auth
    http://neil.gotlinux.org
    http://netmanor.iboost.com/zachgoss/s imm.html
    http://nomoredvd.tripod.com
    http://ny2600.iwarp.com
    http://nycsoftware.com/MirrorList.asp
    http://osiris.978.org/~brianr/css
    http://pages.hotbot.com/arts/weknow
    http://pages.hotbot.com/edu/silex/mir ror.html
    http://pcmania.bg/9-99/mortyr/_vti_ cnf/_vti_pvt
    http://people.mn.mediaone.net/bojay/sl ashdot
    http://people.mn.mediaone.net/si mulacrum/decss.htm
    http://people.ne.mediaone.net/cy berwave/DeCSS.html
    http://people.ne.mediaone.net/dantepsn http://personalweb.smcvt.edu/wtaylo r/decss.html
    http://planeta.clix.pt/DJ_AmAzInG/DVD
    http://primate.net/DVD
    http://pyrrhic.8m.com/DeCSS
    http://quintessenz.at/q
    http://rha.housing.niu.edu/~davebb/css- auth
    http://rlk.ch.utoledo.edu/DVD
    http://sadennes.is.dreaming.org/hanadu http://saturate.org/decss.asp
    http://saturn.spaceports.com/~brainz/DVD
    http://screw_MPAA.tripod.com
    http://sektor1.dhs.org/decss.html
    http://sites.onlinemac.com/beback
    http://sites.uol.com.br/decss
    http://smokering.org
    http://st-bart.net
    http://strange.8k.com
    http://stunman.iwarp.com
    http://stuweb.ee.mtu.edu/~krcalh oo/DeCSS/DeCSS.htm
    http://sweet.as/decss
    http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/moorco ck/337
    http://telnet.stealth.kirenet.com/~star /dvd
    http://the.wiretapped.net/wt/dvd
    http://theannux.homestead.com/decss.html
    http://thesanitarium.n3.net
    http://ts1.online.fr/dvd
    http://underground.pl/dvd
    http://users.1st.net/roundhere/decss
    http://users.1st.net/roundhere/decss /index.htm
    http://users.bigpond.net.au/nf/dvd
    http://users.pandora.be/glenn.plas/dvd http://vandenborre.org
    http://vedaa.tripod.com/decss.html
    http://w1.1634.telia.com/~u163400190
    http://wakeupthe.net/dvd
    http://warpedreality.members.easyspace.c om
    http://website.lineone.net/~kellypink/D eCSS
    http://werewolf12.cjb.net
    http://wildsurge.a2000.nu/decss
    http://wiw.org/~drz/css
    http://wusn-members.xoom.com/ambisagrus
    http://www.19f.org/dvd.html
    http://www.2600.org.au/dvd.html
    http://www.UnderTheStairs.com
    http://www.adulation.net/css
    http://www.agybby.com/dvd
    http://www.algonet.se/~skeleton/other.ht ml
    http://www.alltel.net/~ledwards/css.htm
    http://www.amerisuk.com/~carbon/css.html
    http://www.angelfire.com/biz5/revblack http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/drug me
    http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/acidlocke http://www.angelfire.com/hiphop/rawkus http://www.angelfire.com/in/sight
    http://www.angelfire.com/mb/DVDoutrage http://www.angelfire.com/movies/DeCss
    http://www.angelfire.com/movies/dvdiss http://www.angelfire.com/movies/mpaasucks
    http://www.angelfire.com/nh/panzah
    http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/ny2600
    http://www.angelfire.com/or2/buzzkill
    http://www.angelfire.com/pe/sh3/deccs
    http://www.angelfire.com/pokemon/decss http://www.angelfire.com/punk/DeCSS/DeCSS
    http://www.angelfire.com/punk/freedom
    http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/dblagbro
    http://www.angelfire.com/sk2/braindamage
    http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/winger s/decss.html
    http://www.angelfire.com/vt/bigbrother http://www.angelfire .com/wa2/phederalphelony/breakingnews.html
    http://www.angelfire.com/wy/leggosfun /dvd.htm
    http://www.angelfire.com/yt/mpaasucks
    http://www.angelfire.com/zine/DeCSS
    http://www.artnotart.com/anne/decss.html
    http://www.asleep.net/dvd
    http://www.asylum.webprovider.com
    http://www.auntfloyd.com/DeCSS
    http://www.auracom.com/~rhomac/dvd
    http://www.azillionmonkeys.c om/qed/recess_for_css.html
    http://www.best.com/~drumz/decss
    http://www.bugbbq.org/decss
    http://www.capital.net/~mazzic
    http://www.charm.net/~dutch
    http://www.chello.nl/~f.vanwaveren
    http://www.cognitronics-tech.com
    http://www.conspiracynow.com/theories/d ecss
    http://www.constant.demon.co.uk
    http://www.copkiller.org
    http://www.corecomm.net/~davebb/css-auth
    http://www.corova.com/dvd
    http://www.cpinternet.com/~jhanson
    http://www.crosswinds.net/oakland/~ahrendt/Lawyers _are_scu m-sucking_pigs [...]
    http://www.crosswinds.net/~dvdcrack
    http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS
    http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~feise/DeCSS
    http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/dvd.htm
    http://www.csl.mtu.edu/~pdl athro/filez/DeCSS/DeCSS.html
    http://www.ct2600.org/2600-DVD.html
    http://www.cybertrippin.net
    http://www.cyperspace.org/~multicom
    http://www.december.ndo.co.uk
    http://www.deforest.org/CSS
    http://www.deprecated.org
    http://www.dgw3.com/dvd
    http://www.discountwebhost.com/decss
    http://www.divisionbyzero.com/decss
    http://www.dodgenet.com/~nickz/decss
    http://www.ductape.net/~alpha/decss
    http://www.duffbrew.com/decss
    http://www.execpc.com/~unicorn/dvdmirr or.htm
    http://www.firstlight.net/~clarka/decss
    http://www.flypop.com
    http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscrap er/coax/1107
    http://www.fortunecit y.com/skyscraper/motorola/1415/decss.htm
    http://www.fortunecity.com/vic torian/parkwood/95/DVD
    http://www.frankw.net/decss
    http://www.free-dvd.org.lu
    http://www.freebox.com/zcedri
    http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/mpa aidiot
    http://www.fsp.com
    http://www.futureone.com/~damaged
    http://www.geekbits.com/decss
    http://www.geocities.com /CollegePark/3807/2600Tribute.html
    http://www.geocities.com/Ongakka/rebel. html
    http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline /Curb/1232/DeCSS
    http://www.geocities.com/Res earchTriangle/Station/2819
    http://www.geocities.com/Shapierian
    http://www.geocities.com/Silic onValley/Hardware/6188
    http://www.geocities.com/SiliconV alley/Modem/4192
    http://www.geocities .com/SiliconValley/Ridge/3727/2600/dvd.htm
    http://www.geocities.com/Silic onValley/Software/3971
    http://www.geocities.com/Silic onValley/Software/8762
    http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/5258/de css.html
    http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhi bit/5771/decss
    http://www.geocities.com/ SunsetStrip/Underground/3587/dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/Ti mesSquare/Dome/4021/dvd.html
    http://www.geocities.com/cold_dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/corporatemin dcontrol
    http://www.geocities.com/dba3297
    http://www.geocities.com/decss2
    http://www.geocities.com/decss_2000
    http://www.geocities.com/decss_forever http://www.geocities.com/decss_mirror
    http://www.geocities.com/djph3ad/decss http://www.geocities.com/donquix0te
    http://www.geocities.com/duck_ohm
    http://www.geocities.com/dvdcracked
    http://www.geocities.com/dvdfightback
    http://www.geocities.com/dvdrevolution http://www.geocities.com/dvdsuit/dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/dvdthings
    http://www.geocities.com/epoxy_css
    http://www.geocities.com/fairusedecss
    http://www.geocities.com/fr33dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/getyourdvd
    http://www.geocities.com/ghaniali
    http://www.geocities.com/iwantdvd
    http://www.geocities.com/k4dwi/dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/k4wi/dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/ma dasian2000/decss_mirror.html
    http://www.geocities.com/mastaflame
    http://www.geocities.com/meluchwj
    http://www.geocities.com/mydefiance
    http://www.geocities.com/necready433
    http://www.geocities.com/necready433/dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/neurosis_dvd
    http://www.geocities.com/opendvdecss
    http://www.geocities. com/siliconvalley/computer/2303/DVD.html
    http://www.geocities.com/soho/studios/67 52
    http://www.geocities.com/solidex
    http://www.geocities.com/verruktesten
    http://www.geocities.com/warrdragon_2000
    http://www.geocities.com/watice2
    http://www.geocities.com/whackmol
    http://www.geocities.com/xtridzz
    http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~awirth1/decss
    http://www.glue.umd.edu/~castongj
    http://www.hackunlimited.com/dvd
    http://www.hakor.com/DVD
    http://www.hellnet.org.uk/decss.htm
    http://www.hobbiton.org/~tpm
    http://www.hote.qc.ca/dvd
    http://www.hotsoupmedia.com/decss
    http://www.idrive.com/decss/web
    http://www.iinet.net.au/~matlhdam/DeCSS
    http://www.image.dk/~mbp
    http://www.imsoelite.com/dvd
    http://www.infa.abo.fi/~raine/pub/ software/DeCSS
    http://www.ironbrick.com/decss
    http://www.ismokecrack.com
    http://www.jabberwocky.eyep.net/decss.ht ml
    http://www.k4dwi.net/dvd
    http://www.kentroad.demon.co.uk/decss
    http://www.kiss.uni-lj.si/~k4ef1890/css
    http://www.kki.net.pl/~rsr66/css
    http://www.koek.net/dvd
    http://www.krackdown.com/decss
    http://www.lemuria.org/DeCSS
    http://www.lifesolo.com/bin
    http://www.linuxnerd.net/decss
    http://www.linuxstart.com/~kv ance/projects/decss.html
    http://www.linuxstart.com/~sys_admin
    http://www.lockpicking.nl/decss
    http://www.mafkees.com/dvd
    http://www.mayday2000.org.uk/decss.htm http://www.members.tripod.com/dkdecss
    http://www.mindspring.com/~coueys
    http://www.mindspring.com/~stonethrower
    http://www.multimania.com/sxpert/decss http://www.mykle.com/DVD
    http://www.myshed.net/dvd
    http://www.nacs.net/~vodak/dvd
    http://www.netby.net/Oest/Hva lfiskegade/jana/css.html
    http://www.netspace.net.au/~gromit
    http://www.networksplus.net/blogg
    http://www.neurosis.org/dvd
    http://www.nsnva.pvt.k12.va.us/~abc
    http://www.ntsmedia.com/decss
    http://www.nvhs.nl/decss
    http://www.nwu.edu/people/ldb/decss.html
    http://www.oblivion.net/~amar/css
    http ://www.oksanen.net/ville/this_is/under/Finnish/jur isdiction/otherstuff.htm
    http://www.olen.net/deCSS
    http://www.oz.net/~tvaughan
    http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~jer24
    http://www.penismightier.com/weisha upt/dvd.html
    http://www.pepper-land.net
    http://www.philter.com/DVD
    http://www.pippy.itgo.com
    http://www.posexperts.com.pl/people /wrobell/css
    http://www.projectbullshit.com/decss.html
    http://www.projectgamma.com/deccs
    http://www.qix.net/~pheonix/decss.html http://www.ratol.fi/~asiipola
    http://www.reapers.org
    http://www.redgnatt.homestead.com
    http://www.redrival.com/chimx/computer s.html
    http://www.robotslave.net
    http://www.rpi.edu/~jettea/dvd.html
    http://www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~marsie http://www.scwc.net/DeCSS
    http://www.sealteamsix.com/phagan
    http://www.sk3tch.com/freedecss
    http://www.smackfu.com/decss
    http://www.spin.ch/~rca/decss
    http://www.stanford.edu/~drumz/decss
    http://www.stupendous.org
    http://www.subcor.com
    http://www.swcp.com/~ampere
    http://www.tar.hu/decss
    http://www.teamnismo.com/2600
    http://www.underwhelm.org/decss
    http://www.users.on.net/johnm/DeCSS
    http://www.uwm.edu/~zachkarp
    http://www.vent-soft.com/dvd
    http://www.vexed.net/CSS
    http://www.visi.com/~adept/liberty
    http://www.vulgar.net/dvd
    http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~echerry/dvd
    http://www.webnx.com/tuna
    http://www.webzsite.com/decss
    http://www.wizardworkshop.com
    http://www.wolfpaw.net/~decss
    http://www.worldcity.nl/~frank/dvd
    http://www.wwcn.org/~grit/free
    http://www.xs4all.nl/~oracle/dvd
    http://www.xs4all.nl/~rasch/dvd
    http://www.zeal.net/~pyro/DeCSS
    http://www.zip.com.au/~zzz/dvd
    http://www.zone.ee/DeCSS
    http://www3.50megs.com/dvd4free

    This announcement brought to you by the DeCSS Polar Bear.

  2. Re:As a former Oxford student... by MROD · · Score: 4

    I'm sorry you feel that way about Oxford in general.

    As a sysadmin at one of the science departments here at Oxford I can say that not all the people in the University should be tarred with the same brush.

    Knowing the way the University works, it's probable that the decision to pull the page was probably made at the Proctor's office level and not at the OUCS (Computing Services) level.

    I cannot talk for the people in the Computing Laboratories (CompSci department) but there ARE some really knowledgable and on-the-ball hackers (original meaning) running computers around the University.. and their average age is WELL below the 65 you state.

    Myself, I would have tried to explain the technicalities to the powers that be.. however, in the end if this had happened within our department I would probably have had to bow to the pressure also.

    I'm not saying that the student was right or wrong in putting the page up as he did, but every person who gets an account on any system within the University has to sign an agreement that includes the proviso to remove any service pending an investigation.

    All this sort of stuff is new territory for everyone and there seems to be a great worry over setting the wrong president for the future.

    Stephen Usher

    (Note, I'm speaking for myself and not for the Department of Earth Sciences or the University of Oxford in any official manner. These are my opinions and mine alone.)

    PS. What's wrong with Solaris or any other UNIX type OS for servers in a university? (Oh dear, I can hear those flame burners being lit as I type.. :-))

    --

    Agrajag: "Oh no, not again!"
  3. DeCSS Napster and the DMCA by Adam+Selene · · Score: 4

    Now, I KNOW this isn't the US - BUT, one of the interesting things I see is that to have the site pulled under the DMCA, they have to swear, under the penality of purgery, that a copyright violation has occured.

    Maybe, we can bring a class action lawsuit against RIAA/MPAA for violating the DMCA - I'm sure some US lawyer would LOVE to get hold of some of their money

  4. Re:Universities by gilroy · · Score: 5
    Quoth the poster:
    To my way of thinking anything that gets me involved with Lawyers and the college bureacracy more than necessary falls under that category
    Which simply underscores that many people working at universities are, sadly, unaware of issues of academic or social freedom. He posted a "spoof" -- a parody, a "a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule" (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary). I suppose I can't comment on UK free speech laws, but in the US, parodies are protected.

    If you don't think that the parody could serve a legitimate purpose as social commentary, consider the agitation it caused in this case.

    This trouble isn't "unnecessary", unless you feel that the student's right to free speech is "unnecessary". I'm sorry, but the student's web site was legitimate and any trouble you'd have with the lawyers or the college bureaucracy would have been part of your job.

    I wouldn't have been so surprised or even incensed if this had been a corporate site. We expect that kind of reasoning in the Corporate World. I had hoped a university -- especially one as venerable as Oxford -- would see matters more clearly. Sadly, the business of higher education is becoming business.

    --
    The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
  5. A way to manipulate Oxford University by divec · · Score: 5

    Cool, somebody in Oxford put a page up saying "Oxford is better than Cambridge", and I'll send a faked letter, supposedly from the University of Cambridge, threatening to sue for defamation. Then let's see if they remove from their website all claims that they are any good at all.

    --

    perl -e 'fork||print for split//,"hahahaha"'

  6. American law doesn't apply in the UK by divec · · Score: 4
    The MPAA were quite right to ask for this page to be removed from Oxford's servers.

    What law would you say it could possibly violate? Remember we don't have things like UCITA and DCMA here [yet].


    Remember what that lawyer tried so hard to get Ali G to understand. "American law doesn't apply in the UK. You can't *ever* ``plead the fifth'' here!"

    --

    perl -e 'fork||print for split//,"hahahaha"'

  7. Re:The Uni acted correctly though could have been by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4
    Sure, the University doesn't want to get involved in a costly legal battle, *if* MPAA has a case. But, in this case, there is no case; the student hadn't posted what MPAA claimed he'd posted.

    Now Oxford has bigger problems:
    1) They have presented themselves as buckling under easily to legal bullies, and so there are likely to be more legal bullies in the wings.

    2) They have presented themselves as not respecting freedom of speech. (The material the student posted was the spoof code that was designed to thumb its nose at the MPAA in protest of its activities.) This is not good for PR, not good for admissions, not good for fundraising.

    Nobody wants to see Oxford dragged in to court against the MPAA.. I've been in this position myself so I know it ain't pleasant - or cheap... but, my god, if you didn't even do anything....

  8. Re:Free Speech at Universities - Oxford and UK law by tkb · · Score: 5
    Extract from Oxford University's Code of Practice regarding freedom of speech (adopted by Council in 1987):
    1. General duty to uphold freedom of speech
    Members, students, and employees of the University are bound at all times so to conduct themselves as to ensure that freedom of speech within the law is secured for members, students, and employees of the University and for visiting speakers.

    However, the Code does seem primarily concerned with visiting speakers rather than publication (and predates the popularity of the Web by some years). And if exercising this freedom is outside the scope of academic activity, then the expenses incurred are the responsibility of the person organising the speech, meeting etc. - not (in general) the University.

    The 1986 Education Act protects (in the UK) freedom of speech and assembly within universities. However, Geoffrey Robertson QC (a distinguished UK human rights lawyer) comments that this was introduced by the government of the day because several of its own members had been prevented from speaking at universities by demonstrations (or the fear of demonstrations) against their policies.

  9. A letter to Mr. Alan Gay by Sara+Chan · · Score: 5

    I've sent the following letter to alan@ermine.ox.ac.uk, and CC'd a newspaper.

    __________________________________________

    Dear Mr. Gay,

    This letter concerns OUCS's reaction to the complaints of the Motion Picture Association of America about DeCSS. As I understand it, (i) the MPAA has claimed that DeCSS is used to copy DVDs, (ii) a web site at Oxford University contained a link to a copy of DeCSS, and (iii) OUCS has forced the removal of that site.

    There are three points that I hope you will be willing to consider.

    First, please look at this simple example of some encrypted information: NbszIbeBMjuumfMbnc. In this case, by shifting each letter one to the left, we can easily decrypt the information: MaryHadALittleLamb. Notice, though, that "NbszIbeBMjuumfMbnc" can be copied (by hand, by computer, by whatever) just as easily as "MaryHadALittleLamb". So encryption does not provide any protection from copying. The information stored on DVDs (i.e. movies) is encrypted, but as with "NbszIbeBMjuumfMbnc", this encryption does not provide protection against copying. DeCSS does essentially one thing: it decrypts the information stored on DVDs. Hence DeCSS does not do anything that that aids in copying DVDs.

    Second, you might well ask, "If the above is true, then why is the MPAA so upset?" The answer is that the MPAA does have a use for encryption: to collect extra money, in a way that is not easily visible to the consumer. Because DVDs are encrypted, each DVD player must include some decryption software. Currently, every DVD player uses decryption software that is sourced from the MPAA. The MPAA charges a fee for each copy of this software. Consumers just pay for the DVD player, but (unbeknownst to them) the player manufacturer pays a fee to the MPAA for each player sold. If DeCSS becomes widely used, then the MPAA will no longer collect those fees. The MPAA cannot copyright their own decryption algorithm, because algorithms cannot be copyrighted. So they choose to obfuscate, intimidate, and lie.

    Third, this is more than just a "game", as you allege in your message to ox.talk of 2000-05-18. The purpose of DVD encryption is to get extra money from consumers. This may or may not be ethical (I would argue that it is not). But it is surely unethical for the MPAA to allege that their actions are to prevent copying. The purpose of the web site was to protest against such allegations. The actions of OUCS thus amount to disallowing a reasonable, and legal (as you can verify), protest against corporate disingenuity and to accepting the profit-motivated obfuscations, intimidations, and lies of the MPAA. Do you believe that these are reasonable actions?

    Sara Chan

    __________________________________________

    liberalism n. The use of compassionate rhetoric for authoritarian ends.

  10. I find this fascinating... by fluxrad · · Score: 4

    first off. anyone remember what that last A stands for in the 'MPAA'??? I just....can't...seem...to...remember...

    Secondly. I sort of disagree with the article on the whole topic of universities being our last bastion of freedom. Look at napster. Universities were some of the first institutions to ban it. Look at the mid 30's. Universities in germany were sponsoring book burnings even before Hitler came to absolute power. To say defending a University just because it's a school or some such argument is sort of, well, dogmatic. The key thing to remember is the phrase "give 'em an inch, they'll take a mile." If the MPAA is going to start screwing with anyone and everyone who writes about DeCSS (Ironic that it wasn't even reverse engineered in the states), then anyone and everyone needs to fight the MPAA, and the DMCA, and any other law or organization that aims to take away rights which we feel are worth fighting for. If you let these kinds of acts go unnoticed when they're against "small" people - like joe user on the internet, then the crap that goes on at Oxford, or anywhere else for that matter, is moot.


    FluX
    After 16 years, MTV has finally completed its deevolution into the shiny things network

    --
    "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume