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Serial Cables Illegal Due to DMCA?
Colin McMillen writes "I've recently had an
interesting run-in with the DMCA... apparently, US Customs has rejected entry of a PC<->Sega Dreamcast serial cable into the US, supposedly due to copyright violations. This cable was to be used for Dreamcast programming for the Real-Time Systems class offered at my university. This seems to be a clear case of the DMCA abridging a perfectly valid educational use of a perfectly legal piece of hardware."
They obviously want to prevent serial crimnials from committing serial crimes.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
My six-year old will be thrilled! Arrrh.
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
Anyway, don't you need a license from Sony to develop software for the dreamcast? If you don't have one, how is wrong to restrict access to a tool that's only purpose is do development, even if its academic.
No wonder the Dreamcast folded - you apparently need a license from Sony to develop software for it. Naturally, they denied all licenses so that Sega's product couldn't compete with the PS1/PS2.
After all, you *can* memorize things using them as input devices....
;-)
When MPAA PR representative Ima Weasel was told about this apparent restriction of legitimate educational use of a harmless device in the name of the DMCA, she replied that she was "totally fucking shocked".
"Seriously," she drawled, "we would have never guessed that, like, someone's rights would be impinged by the DMCA. You know, cus we aren't about that. If we'd have known stuff like this would happen, we'd have never lobbied for the damn law in the first place." Mrs. Weasel apparently had some sort of coughing fit, but when she recovered, she added in a strained voice: "Because you know, the MPAA is about protecting the people's rights. We would never get in the way of something like that knowingly, even if it meant making less money. Because... We love our customers!"
At this point she let out a cackle like the witch from Loony Toons, and rode off on her broom. One of her aides informed the interviewer that the MPAA had no further comments on the issue.
The enemies of Democracy are
Just cause everyone pronounces Sega, "Sony," nowadays, doesn't mean you need to spell it that way!
My company has the site blocked on the firewall so it HAS to be a Bad Thing(tm).
"If you are on fire you can just stop, drop, and roll. If you fall into Lava you are just dead." - my 5yr old daughter
only criminals will have serial cables.
Proof of the gay-linux conspiracy!
If I want to use a bong to try and invent cold fusion I should have the right to.
:)
I'm pretty sure that's what those original cold fusion scientists were using back in the 80s.
-- When a fool hears of the Tao, he will laugh out loud.
"Remember, all our products at Smokey Hash's Get-High Stoner Shop are for tobacco and cold fusion developmental use only!"
The following sentence is true. The preceding sentence was false.
Isn't it strange that I can import a knife but I cannot import a cable?
Well, if your priorities weren't so screwed up, you would notice that a knife can only be used to injure or kill a few people before the attacker gets caught. The victims probably won't be rich people, so they really aren't worth that much to the economy and society anyway. OTOH, a cable like this can be used to steal Copyrighted Digital Content, which can then be copied an infinite number of times, thereby causing an infinite loss to the economy.
Best. Comment. Ever. Enjoy!
Yeah, we all know what this guy was going to do. If he wasn't going to pirate games and deprive Sony of their earned income, then he was probably going to "hack" the console, and we all know hacking is illegal.
As part of the lab, we are intending on using the Sega Dreamcast console as a real-time system; we'll be writing a scheduler for it and some simple games.
Man, an entire class devoted to stealing other people's work? I think it's time for a TOP TO BOTTOM review of our educational system, and we need to route out these thieves pretending to be teachers. Put them behind bars I say!
The Dreamcast isn't even mine; it's my roommate's.
Sure, steal from Sony, steal from your roommate, steal from old ladies, steal from your Church, what's the difference?
Looks to me like the DMCA was working just fine, and stopped another potential criminal from commiting a crime. Does this guy really think he's smarter than Congress, who knew exactly what they were doing when passing this law?
(Note this post is a JOKE. And a bad one at that. :-) Move along.)
As a New Zealander, I now officially love the DMCA! For years we New Zealanders have tried to compete with the USA's technical dominance. Now, we don't have to worry! The USA is destroying it's own technical dominance, and we don't have to do a thing to make it happen! Woohoo!
(end irony)
This law courtesy of the US Congress®, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Disney® Corporation.