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Lofgren's Anti-DRM Bill

Posted by michael on from the trial-balloon dept.

blastedtokyo writes "House representative Zoe Lofgren introduced the Digital Choice and Freedom Act. Perhaps the most interesting section is the part that invalidates 'non-negotiable shrink wrap licenses' (EULAs) that limit rights. On top of this, it states that both digital and analog media need to be subject to fair use rules for backing up. The full text of the bill is also available." News.com.com.com.com and Infoworld have stories as well, which both note that there is no chance of these bills being passed this year.

4 of 322 comments (clear)

  1. Don't cross the beams... by Louis-Nap · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm not a US citizen (I'm from the forgotten US state, Australia :0), so I'm not sure how the whole lawmaking process works - but doesn't this law say the exact opposite of quite a few laws either previously passed or currently being debated? What happens in this case - do the laws nullify each other? Do they both apply and it gets left up to the courts to decide which has priority? Perhaps we need some kind of legislation lottery, where the first law that gets drawn out of a barrel is passed, and the rest aren't...I can just imagine a group of senators, fingers crossed, chanting "come in DMCA!"

    --

    ===
    You know that guy who stole your girlfriend away from you in the summer of '95? He's going to die.
    1. Re:Don't cross the beams... by JWW · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm just a bill yes I'm only a bill and I'm sittin ' here on capitol hill.....

      Ok, everyone go out and buy the "Schoolhouse Rock DVD"... Wait that's being sold by Disney, aaaarrrrggghhhh, what a dillema.

    2. Re:Don't cross the beams... by Alranor · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm an amendment to be,
      Yes an amendment to be
      And i'm hoping that they'll ratify me

      There's a lot of flag burners who have too many freedoms,
      I'd like to make it legal for policemen to beat 'em

    3. Re:Don't cross the beams... by MarkusQ · · Score: 4, Funny

      So what prevents a more corrupt administration from...

      In theory, something called "checks and ballances." It's a key part of our system; it also prevents things like a rogue president declaring war at random, congressmen passing laws which only help their financial backers, or judges ignoring laws to protect their cronies. Since it's so important, we periodically do a live full system test to make sure it's still working.

      In fact, it looks like we're starting one now.

      -- MarkusQ