Slashdot Mirror
US Copyright Office Releases DMCA Advisory Report
snogwozzle writes: "The US Copyright Office's congressionally-mandated advisory report on the effect of the DMCA is in, and at first glance it doesn't look too good. They're against undoing the definition of temporary RAM buffer copies as possibly infringing (which Jessica Litman in Digital Copyright pegged as perhaps the central dirty trick in the DMCA as it opens the door to technical access control by publishers) is turned down, so is a first sale doctrine for digitally distributed works, and the DMCA's effect on fair use is called out of scope for the report. On the other hand, they think everyone should have a backup right for media bought in digital form, like we have for software." Keep in mind that this is only looking at the DMCA's effect on the "first sale doctrine" (once a work is sold to you, the copyright holder can't stop you from re-selling it) and on the legal right to make backup copies of a computer program.
232 Pages! I don't actually have to read the thing to take part in
This echoes the letters that I just sent to the 4 Congressmen for my state. Basically, besides the "Free Skylarov" message, I told them that you should have a right to the content of something you buy, and that converting its form for viewing on other platforms or making backups should not be illegal. Hence, if I own a DVD, I should be able to watch it on Linux. If I buy an eBook, I should be able to convert it, print it, or do whatever I want with it, provided, of course, that I don't redistribute or sell it. This isn't about piracy, its about having access to something you already paid for.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Thats the problem!
People bitch about the DMCA on slashdot.
Some even come up with good arguments why the DMCA is bad and their arguments are moderated up and everyone else agrees with their point of view.
However, these readers fail to forward these same arguments to the people who need to read them.
Same for the dmitry case. Lots of people have come up with ideas on what dmitry should do or should not do. DMITRY has bigger things to do than read slashdot! If you come up with ideas on how to help him, make sure your message gets to him or his lawyer. Getting modded to +5 here does not help him directly.
Got any ideas how 2600 can fight back in the MPAA lawsuit? Email the ideas to them!
So please, aside posting to slashdot, do the necessary to send your messages to the relevant people.
Thank you.