Rep. Boucher Outlines 'Fair Use' Fight

A reader writes "AtNewYork.com is reporting: U.S. Congressman Rick Boucher, moving to strengthen "fair use" provisions under federal copyright law, said he is introducing a bill that would essentially restrict the record industry from selling copy-protected CDs."

Comments

Will Orrin Hatch by an ally of Rick Boucher?

[dh003i]

As Lessig has pointed out in "The Future of Ideas," Sen. Orrin Hatch has his head screwed on right when it comes to intellectual property issues. So, will Orrin Hatch join Boucher in supporting this measure? I'd certainly hope so.

That would give the bill two sponsors, one from each party, which is good.

Also, for those of you "Libertarians" saying that banning the sale of copy-protected CD's is bad, I think you're forgetting that the public has rights too. Fair use is a right. The government shoud act so as to preserve our rights. In some cases, it is necessary for the government to interfere with business in order to protect the public's rights and consumer's rights. This is not a violation of the libertarian principal.

What amazes me about some so-called "Libertarians" is how much they despise it when the government disrespects our rights, but how easily and readily they are willing to allow businesses to violate our rights.

The Amendments to the constitution may have been designed by the Founders with concern that the government may violate our rights. However, they didn't mean for the Amendments to only apply to the government. They couldn't have predicted a time when companies would be able to violate our rights just as easily as the government, but they would not have approved. Nor would they approve any-more of individual's violating other individual's rights. The Amendments should protect us from actions by the government, businesses, and other citizens.

Certainly, the founding father's would not approve of our current bounty-hunter system, whereby simply because a bounty-hunter is not "part of the government," (s)he can violate the rights of the suspect.

Nor would they approve of companies and corporate organizations like the RIAA/MPAA/BSA violating our rights.