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"Super-DMCA" Bills In Tennessee and Arkansas
David Turner writes "Tomorrow, Tennessee's Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing
on two nearly identical DMCA-like bills. These bills threaten
personal privacy, anonymity, and security research. SB
213 and HB457
are similar to state laws
introduced all over the country by the MPAA. Despite amendments, the bills still threaten digital freedom. Last
month, twenty people showed up at the Massachusetts public
hearing, and effectively opposed the one MPAA lobbyist. If you attend, speak from notes rather than simply reading a statement (but you
may be able to submit written testimony). Please come to Legislative
Plaza in Nashville, rooms 12 and 14 at 3:30pm." And Kraken137 writes "The House and Senate of the Arkansas state legislature have passed the MPAA's "Super-DMCA" Bill, and it is now sitting on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. It's not too late to convince him to veto this bill! Arkansas residents are urged to contact the Governor's office to express their opposition to this violation of rights. The ever-vigilant EFF has a page where residents can send a fax to Governor Huckabee's office to let their voices be heard. Remember, paper and phone calls make more of a difference than emails!"
So I've seen quite a bit about the super DMCA legislation and I hadn't heard anything about efforts to pass such a thing in Illinois. Well, turns out that it was passed in July of last year.
I heard nothing about it at the time, of course, and so it's a bit too late to do anything abou it. Sure, you can try to get a law repealed, but it's significantly more difficult to get a law off the books than it is to keep it off in the first place.
This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
I like this sort of grassroots dissemination through the internet. Now if American /. readers were to act on it in any great number, and act as polite but concerned citizens, they can be a force for good.
Remember! The Internet is not just for porn! It's also about organizing politcal action to keep porn legal!
The MPAA and RIAA can be very loud.
Which is sad, because in theory, they have no voting rights as a corporation. How can the people who demand the freedom to do what we want with the things we own be overpowered by a band of theives which should theoretically have no political power?
Simple... Good old classic bribery through the "good buddy" system, you scratch my back, I scratch yours, etc...
Why do we put up with this and just let it happen? Especially when we are the ones who lose in the deal?
They won't be satisfied until they can pass legislation to make it illegal to even open the case on your computer, DVD player, television, VCR, Tivo box, etc. And even after that they'll be looking into ways to force people to wear a device which prevents them from perceiving any audio/visual signals which are not authorized by their organizations.
Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
posessing a natural number
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27829379428734982379487239847293847923487293487
488794879872082407187409167
987238471287491387492874827493874365873658
327647234729384727394823794823747234923
is illegal and will be prosecuted by the full extent.
Because this number just happens to be a Britney song encoded in Radix-50 MPEG-4 format.
If you got this number in your calculations, you MUST
stop now and erase it as soon as possible.
Agreed. I've gotten about 20 people to fax him today, and I'm planning on calling his office later today, as are a couple of my co-workers (2 of whom are also college professors). We're also sending a carefully crafted email to our CEO to try and point out the places where this 'Super-DMCA' could possibly harm our ability to effectively do business in this state.
Agreed.
The only two I have found which are large enough to put a dent in the lobbyists's progress is the EFF and ALCU. If anyone knows of any others, I'd be glad to check them out.
Since the only thing our politicians will listen to is lobbyists, we need to form powerful lobbyists groups of our own to protect our interests. The only way we can grant these groups power is to donate our time and/or money to their cause. Since we are far less organized than the ??AA's, so we need all the help we can get.
Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
Since the only thing our politicians will listen to is lobbyists, we need to form powerful lobbyists groups of our own to protect our interests.
More specifically, they listen to lobbyists with money. If you can help legislator X to get reelected by contributing to his campaign funds, you will have that legislator's ear. If you are merely operating from ideology but can do nothing to help that legislator win the next election, you may get lucky and be able to have lunch with him or her, but you will not have any long term effect.
The day of effective public advocacy groups is over. Nader is a laughing-stock, the ACLU is loathed by many members of the judiciary and much of the public, the EFF has been almost completely ineffective, and the American public is content with whatever legislative travesty the President advocates, so long as it is in the name of national security and supported by Republicans.
Corporate lobbyists control the legislative process. You, unfortunately, have no impact on this process. Your precious vote is worthless.
It would send a more powerful message if politicians faced recall votes over issues like these. I don't see that happening though.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
********
Thank you for contacting my office regarding H.R. 107, the Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act (DMCRA). With changes in how consumers access copyrighted material, I agree that we must reexamine the application of our copyright laws.
As a member of the Intellectual Property Subcommittee, I will have the opportunity to work closely on this issue and agree that we must create a balance between protecting the artist's work and providing access for consumers. While copyright law should protect the property rights of the creators of a work, we must also ensure that consumers of those works have fair access to the material. Just as radio changed the way copyright law applied to music, the development of the Internet, peer-to-peer networks and digital copies are changing the applicatio of copyright law.
One way to address the imbalance is H.R. 107, which requires the producer of a work to properly label what the limits of how their materials may be used or accessed. In addition, the bill ensures that consumers have a fair use right to circumvent any new copyright protections. As this legislation is considerd in the Intellectual Property Subcommittee, I will be sure to keep your view in mind.
Again, thank you for contacting me and, if I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Very truly yours,
Melissa Hart
Member of Congress
************
"We apologize for the inconvenience."
Being a concerned Arkansas citizen, I contacted the representative who I consider to be the chief co-sponsor of House Bill 2361, the Arkansas 'Super-DCMA' bill that currently before the Governor's desk. He was kind enough to respond in brief although he is not my representative and with the end of this regular session (the second longest in Arkansas' history) must tend to more pressing matters. The summary of the email is an agreement to discuss the bill with me in greater detail soon (I trust him). He also made this one brief comment:
If anyone cares to hear the specifics of my future interview, I'll post it on my web site after the interview is held. Granted, the point is rather moot since the bill passed both houses.
What those who want activist courts fear is rule by the people.