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Copy Protection a Crime Against Humanity

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the cutting-some-slack dept.

Trevalyx writes "An article over at Wired looks into the relation between copy protection and the reality of a rational amount of 'wiggle room' that is typically provided by the legal system. It's a topic covered often on Slashdot, but it's still a good read. Should be accompanied by a visit to the Electronic Frontier Foundation for your Daily Dose of Defending Digital Freedom." The article does a good job of giving examples of legal leeway that's granted every day.

3 of 473 comments (clear)

  1. Market Regulation by Kris_J · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's a thought. All the IP laws are a form of market regulation. Businesses are all "regulation is bad". So, why don't we get rid of copyright, trademarks and patents just so big business can have the totally unregulated market they so desire?

  2. Re:Aw C'mon by Have+Blue · · Score: 4, Informative

    Only us geeks care about being able to copy DVDs. But remember, consumers *did* reject DivX.

  3. Re:Aw C'mon by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yeah, but said protection ONLY deters the extremely casual copiers. Basically all you need to do is copy the actual files on the disk, and head to innumerable websites, and download the safedisc/securom/cdilla/whatever free executable and you're home free. The executable is effectively "unwrapped" and instead of checking to see if certain areas of the disc are corrupt or whatever, it just plays. Safedisc and Securom are a joke. Vice City was on the net 2 days before it's PC release, it "uses" safedisc. Rise of Nations was out 3 WEEKS before release. It uses Securom I believe.

    Only the very lazy or the very uneducated can't copy modern titles.

    And yes, when a patch is released you can't upgrade right away, but within a few days (or hours in the case of Championship Manager 4 recently), the crack is out and on the net, and it's business as usual.

    Lensloc was a better protection than these...