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UK Prepares Own Version of the DMCA
philkerr writes "I've just been informed by the UK Patent Office, below, that the EUCD (European Union Copyright Directive, the equivalent EU legislation to the DMCA) consultation paper has been released. It's important that we give feedback to the UK government that this legislation will have a chilling effect on the software industry." NTK has a few choice words on the subject as well. We've done several articles on the EUCD before, and Alan Cox has been campaigning against it, but it appears that the fix is in: Europe is going to get DMCA-like laws implemented in each nation by the end of 2002.
Well if it does become implemented, it'll take a while longer for the Police and Courts to catch on, especially in light of how they enforce the current RIP bill (Jack Straw's little ugly baby).
If I remember rightly, in Computer Weekly stories were coming through of how the Police would come into a company and virtually request 'the internet', them not knowing they were enforcing... giving a whole new meaning to "'ello 'ello 'ello, wot's goin on 'ere then?"
Time will tell I suppose.
Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
If the EU is so eager to follow the laws of the US despite all the obvious flaws, then the US should give them some starter tips as a gesture of goodwill. Someone send them a fat guy to sue the fast food companies.
I moderate "-1, Fool"
Now that the chance of a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan producing a nuclear winter is much reduced, I'm depending on the chilling effect from multiple DMCA's on every continent to counteract the greenhouse effect. That and running my central AC full blast with the windows open.
Look at it this way: Britian's House of Commons is like the US House, plus some Scotch Whisky. Anything is possible...
Aw, fuck it. Let's go bowling. - The Big Lebowski
If you're in a race, you don't want to be the only one who shoots himself in the foot. It's good to see that the Europeans are going to nobly handicap themselves to match our stupid mistake.
The amusing thing, of course, being that NTK occasionally brings down little sites. Guess the medium fish eat the little fish, and are in turn eaten by the big fish, until /. jumps in the pond and splashes out all the other fish.
Drunk politicions will forget which bills they were paid to vote for.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
1. The Spice Girls
:-)
2. Men at Work
3. Liam Gallagher
4. Olivia Newton-John
5. Right Said Fred
Had enough?