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Library of Congress to Hold DMCA Hearings
petong writes "The Library of Congress's Copyright Office will be holding hearings to find out if changes need to be made to the DMCA, according to News.com.
'Anyone with strong feelings about the DMCA, one way or another, may submit a request by Apr. 1 to testify during the public forums, the Copyright Office said in its announcement. The hearing dates in the U.S. capital will be Apr. 11, Apr. 15 and May 2. The dates and locations in California have not been set yet.'"
I sure hope its not some sick joke by the Copyright Office :)
..
:)
Like have them get us all riled up about complaining only to go with recomendations by the MPAA or RIAA.
Doh!!! Not another bad april fools joke
Hehe
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Who bitch and moan and cry about the DMCA who don't submit to make your voice heard in a forum that actually matters (it's true.. /. doesn't matter) are hypocrites. (I'd wager a few bananas that's pretty much all of you).
So anyone here on sending in something? What about a collaborated effort here on slashdot, as maybe a draft and then send it?
SuDZ
Anyone with strong feelings about the DMCA, one way or another, may submit a request by Apr. 1 to testify during the public forums,
will this be the first physical slashdoting ever?
I would like to point out that there is nothing in the DMCA that prevents you from continuing to persue the occupation you desire. You were interested in becoming a lawyer weren't you?
You never know...
IP law is supposed to promote innovation, but it has quite the opposite effect. We have really annhiliated the original 14 years was.
Why not just pick a different value for each medium. Books get 30 years. Drugs get 5 years. Videogames get 7 years... etc.
This is an excellent opportunity to show that the DMCA is crap but please, those of you who attend don't make fools of yourselves. That means dress nice (no DeCSS t-shirts and wear a tie) and that means bathe, shave, and shower. That also means wear both shoes.
The objective is not to be seen, it's to convince others that your position is the correct and just position.
Considering the huge amount of "article time" given to YRO and the DMCA over the last while, I would expect that there will be many people taking advantage of this. In fact, there are very many of you out there that would be quite foolish to not take this opportunity... hypocritical even!
This is going to be like that old political standby... if you don't vote, then you can't complain about the results. The difference here is that there actually is a good candidate that you can vote for!
I moderate "-1, Fool"
I may just be cynical, but...
The copyright office probably just wants to give the DMCA opponents an official chance to voice their opposition. They can't claim to be fair and impartial if they don't hear these complaints. Then, after "weighing all the arguments" (which will include 99% negative feedback on the DMCA), they will determine that everything is just fine as it is.
In fact, this conclusion will be further ammunition to the **AA. Why, if some restrictions are acceptable, *surely* more will be better!
Look at the tomato! Isn't it sad? He can't dance! Poor tomato!
This won't change anything. People have been speaking out against this since day one. Lot's of very eloquent commentary from every political faction has been written against it and nothing has changed. It won't change because our political class has forsaken then principles of our founders. To our politicians, they're keeping the bread and butter on the table. The ignorant peasants are being served in the "big picture" by loss of liberty in the smaller ones in their minds. Our wealth matters more to politicians than our freedom. I'm sick of those who argue that we can't know what the original intent of Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 is because our founders gave us our first IP laws.
Click here or a puppy gets stomped!
Your comments become the property of the Federal Government, and viewing of the final report requires agreement to the license agreement.
This /. thread from two weeks ago comes to mind:
Lofgren Introduces BALANCE Act to Modify DMCA
I haven't read the bill, but I did check out Representative Lofgren's website. Her points on the issue seem to be quite close to what we have all been clamoring about since the whole DMCA mess got started.
It may not be a perfect solution, but I would certainly point to it as evidence that this is a real problem and that something needs to be done. I already wrote to my Representative asking him to support the measure. I even got a (seemingly) live e-mail response from an intern saying that my comments were forwarded to the congressman.
They have a call for people who want to make a statement in person, I wonder if they will take staments in writing for people who can not go for what ever reason.
Because life does not stop because a war is going on. I don't think life will ever be on topic
Library of Congress guy: "We will now hear from the community delegate from the Slashdot.org website..."
sl4sHd0TT3r: In Soviet Russia, the MILLENIUM copyrights YOU!
LoC guy: ?
sh4sHd0TT3r: goatse.cx!
LoC guy: ~whimper~
sh4sHd0TT3r: IANAL, but the DMCA's bad mmkay?
Intercarve Networks, LLC
That's pretty cynical, but then again, we are talking about the US here. The difference here is that this is an 'official' hearing... theoretically the results will be taken into account by the government, unlike the mass of unorganized and unofficial protests that have all come before it.
So, I suggest that before you go too deep into the 'ignorant peasants and loss of liberty' stuff that you give it a shot and see what happens. Otherwise you're pegging yourself as a hypocrite. "DMCA bad! DMCA bad! What's that? You're going to listen to us? Uh... no! You're not going to listen, I just know it!" I mean, what do you want them to do, repeal it outright without giving it any thought? This is government people... it takes a bit of momentum to change these things.
I moderate "-1, Fool"
I thought the title said, "Library of Congress to Hold DMCA Herrings"
Just proves you see what you want to see...
The Washington Post did a similar story in which they confirmed the Los Angeles dates and locations:
Los Angeles City Hall
April 17 : 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
April 18 : 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
April 25 : 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Mark your calendars.
Testimony becomes the sole property of the Library of Congress. Unauthorized redistribution or reproduction is expressly prohibited. By submitting your request, you agree to these terms and conditions.
Of course, whos going to do the talking is a big issue. All the people I can think of who've been most vocal about the DMCA (Katz, RMS, etc) are the absolute last people I'd want representing us - we'd look like lunatic fringe, and add credence to the yuppies pushing this thing.
Whaat we'd need are well-spoken workers in computer technology and academics who can say that this limitation is bad for the economy and for progress/invention.
The real problem isn't the DMCA - it's copyright monopolies being taken to their logical conclusion. If you don't cut the vine off at the root, then it will never stop trying to choke you off.
Here is a link to the DeCSS program, defined as a prime number.
DeCSS is illegal under the DMCA. Is the prime number that defines it then also illegal? How is a number illegal, exactly? Do you have to skip it when you are counting and if you don't you get arrested under the DMCA?
Of all the arguements I've heard, this one is the most obvious to me on how broken the DMCA is. It's lunacy. I think I'm breaking the law just linking to the program.
Hippie uniforms? Is that tiedye shirts and sandals?
Are you familiar with the UCITA? It's like the DMCA of shrink-wrap licenses. Basically, "Software can have _absolutely anything_ in the license you can't read until you've agreed to it. Software companies are absolved of any and all responsibility for damages from the software they write. Software companies are allowed to put back doors in their software and can disable it on your system if you so much as look at them funny." They try to run something like it through Congress every now and then, but fortunately it's 'only' been passed in two states.
The UCITA is so bad that even the lawyers have said that it's a terribly bad piece of legislation. And yet they were ignored in Maryland and Virginia. So don't ever buy software written by companies in those states.
Dyolf Knip
Give the EFF a few bucks.
Support those who can attend.
The first one seems more realistic for those like myself who are stuck in the Midwest on the wrong side of everything. the second is for those of you who are more daring or better connected with people with strong feelings on the issue.
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid. --John Wayne
Educating our legislators is key to all efforts. The supporters of DMCA have very effectively managed to make this all about college students downloading MP3s and bands of overseas pirates selling bootlegged DVDs.
During the last election cycle I spoke with a congressional candidate about the evils of the DMCA and his only take on it was something needed to be done about blackmarket videos. And this from someone I considered an otherwise reasonable, intelligent candidate.
Sadly, what is needed is a soundbite arguement to stick in the mind of those for whom soundbites are all that can be recalled.
Lawrence Lessig seems stable enough. And weren't there some economists that said copyright was hurting the economy.
Important Notice: The email address for submission of requests to testify that was posted on the Copyright Office website prior to 11:00 a.m., E.S.T. on March 19, 2003, was inaccurate. The correct email address is 1201@loc.gov and NOT 1201@nt3.loc.gov. Any requests that were sent to 1201@nt3.loc.gov were not received, and anyone who sent such a request must resubmit the request to the correct email address: 1201@loc.gov....
If you read through the comments, especially'joint reply comment' 23 , from the RIAA and MPAA and friends, it is not good. Things like and and and It's basically full of things like this. First the LOC made it almost impossible to meet their requirments, and they only accepted 50 comments. We know there had to be a lot more than that. When they said they wanted facts to back it up they meant it. Now we can see why. Some of these companies are picking apart the original comments piece by piece, and if facts weren't not sufficient, they are trying to get them thrown out. And they haven't even gotten to court yet. I have a bad feeling about this.
(to save time, the bashing begins around page 11)
Here's a discussion quesiton: if the DMCA had be in force in 1980, would Compaq computer's PC clone have been illegal? If not, wouldn't a simple XOR encryption make cloning 'circumvention' and thus illegal? What effect would the DMCA have had on the fantastic growth of the PC clone industry if clones were illegal, not to mention Microsoft's fantastic profits?
Next: The Lexmark toner cartridge case. Isn't it dangerous to allow manufacturers to totally lock in parts and supplies simply by putting a microcontroller in it, which must be reverse engineered to create? Consider this hypothetical: GM makes 'smart' brake shoes, with embedded controllers and software (say they monitor temperature and wear). Couldn't GM then use the DMCA to make any competitive brake shoes illegal, thus creating a monopoly on replacement parts and charging whatever price they want for them? Would you want to have to buy a 'smart air filter' for your car for $250, with only one legal source of them?
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