Industry-Stacked DRM Workshop in D.C. Today

epeus writes: "The U.S. Commerce Department is holding a workshop on DRM today, and inviting 'stakeholders' to talk. The panel is loaded with the usual suspects -Jack Valenti, Mitch Glazier, Vivendi, Disney, Microsoft and Intel, with one 'customer' repesentative. Richard Stallman and the NY Fair Use group are going to protest and say that We are the stakeholders -- our computers are our stake, and DRM is theft. If you can't go, send in your comments or read mine"

Comments

Re:oh not again

[MrResistor]

Stallman is not a "stakeholder."

The public is the largest single stakeholder on the issue of copyright. Stallman is a member of the public. If you don't want him representing you in the copyright debate, then perhaps you should get out and represent yourself.

Copyright is theft. It is theft from the Public Domain. It is not a natural right, but a granted one. The Public grants copyright to the Rights Holder, and the price of that granted right is Fair Use and the passage of the work into the Public Domain after a limited time. If that price is not paid, and the Rights Holders are doing everything they possibly can to avoid paying it, there is no reason for the Public to grant, nor respect, copyright. Copyright has no value without public consent.

The market can't stop DRM if the law requires it. Since the Public is the largest stakeholder, it is extremely irresponsible of an allegedly public body, the Department of Commerce, to prevent public participation in a debate which will affect government policy regarding copyright and DRM.