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DeCSS Down Under

Posted by michael on from the chilling-effect dept.

Salon is running a story today about how 2600 Australia plans to deal with DeCSS. Australia has a law closely similar to the DMCA in the works; it's already most of the way through the legislative process. 2600 Australia is trying to avoid being a test case.

2 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. Australian ISPs take on DeCSS by lpontiac · · Score: 4

    Here's the response I got from my ISPs main legal man.

    >
    > I intend to post a copy of DeCSS, and link to copies at other locations,
    > under my homepage hierachy http://members.iinet.net.au/~locust/.
    >
    > My understanding is that DeCSS is completely legal in Australia (as we
    > lack an equivalent to the US' Digital Millenium Copyright Act), and I was
    > wondering whether iiNet knows any differently, or whether they would have
    > any objections to my making DeCSS available through webspace that they
    > supply.

    Hi Andrew, thanks for your message.

    There is divided legal opinion as to whether the DeCSS code is
    illegal in Australia, though the adverse findings in other countries
    aren't helpful for the proposition that it is "fair use". So far, it's
    a moot point and I guess it's up to you whether you want to be a test
    case.

    If you host it on your website and someone /seriously/ complains, I'm
    going to ask you to take it off as required under our AUP. While I have
    a lot of sympathy for your point of view, I can't allow iiNet to be
    caught in the crossfire.

    As far as hyperlinks are concerned, always link to the page, not the
    file. Linking to the file is called "deep linking", and is a borderline
    copyright violation.

    Hope this helps - if you run into trouble see www.efa.org.au.

    Regards,

  2. What's next? DeCSS in Acapulco? by Vuarnet · · Score: 4

    Sep 1 2000: After the recent U.S. District Court ruling banning the distribution of DeCSS, the DVD-decrypting program, several mariachis decided to support the ruling by playing the DeCSS song on every wedding they're invited to.

    Asked about the relationship between a DVD-decrypting program, and the traditional mexican music, they responded: "Well, there ees notheeng in common, but we decided to support our hacker amigos in their fight against the eevil gringo corporations".


    Now, can we move on to some _real_ news?

    --
    Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
    Learning to fly, Pink Floyd.