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Send Congress Your Comments On DRM Legislation
stry_cat writes "The people who want to control what you can and cannot copy have got Congress to consider requiring every computer sold to include special circuits that limit what files you can copy.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is
soliciting public comments on this legislation."
Why is it that a issue this huge to our community is buried in the YRO section and not showing on the front page?
This is a big issue and our chance to speak up...
look what we did for w3c and RAND....
Power Corrupts,Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely, leaving one person(group)in charge is absolutely corrupt.
#!/usr/bin/perl
print "Dear estemeed congress person\n"
print "Here is how I feel about DRM"
while (1)
{
print "NO! ";
}
print "\nThank you for your consideration.\n"
I'm a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. As a computer researcher I know that it is vital to have access to general-purpose, open computers. Mandatory Digital Rights Management technology in computers would make it unacceptably difficult to study and improve upon computer systems.
In addition, I'm also worried that DRM technology would raise the barriers to entry with regard to amateur content creation. As it stands, it is easy for anyone to create their own pictures or music or stories or movies, encode them in standard formats, and share them with people -- this has led to a rich and flourishing landscape of amateur content on the internet. Implicit in the Digital Rights Management proposals that I have seen is the idea that content is created only by the large corporations that make up the entertainment industry. By requiring content creators to license patents or programs, meet difficult requirements, or use proprietary formats, the amateur is locked out of effectively distributing his work. Infringing on the ability for amateurs to create and share their own works is a tragedy beyond any other consequence of DRM. After all, the purpose of copyright as stated in the constitution is to "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts!"
Please don't stifle technology innovation, and the vast and wonderful potential for our consumers to become content creators themselves, all just to protect business models of the last century. Leave the burden on these businesses to prosecute copyright infringers, or to otherwise develop content delivery systems that are are profitable AND friendly to consumers.
Granted.....BUT. According to what I have heard about the DRM, it limits my ability to copy what I NEED to. Like the rather overpriced, but worth it RadioHead CD that I dont want damaged by airline security....Or that song that I made myself on a synthesizer and burned...Or the 856 dollar copy of Lightwave 7.0 that I have to backup and use when I travel.
So, people might pirate things, but I could have pirated any f the above stated items. Why didn't I? Because the RadioHead CD was overpriced, but well worth it for the sound quality. I BOUGHT lightwave instead of using a dongle emulator because the program is so good, and I value the tech support, etc.
So people pirate. So let the corporations stop it by making it worth it for people to buy, rather then steal their products.
Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
EFF's Action Center also has a couple of Fax-your-rep forms about this issue, urging them to support the two recently mentioned acts:
Support the Digital Choice and Freedom Act!
Support the Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act!
Oh, and I agree with all the other posts; this does belong on the front page.