Slashdot Mirror
NCC Calls for Laws to Protect User Rights
earthlingpink writes "We're used to reading articles about new and creative ways in which DRM and other such technologies can be used to prevent us from doing whatever we like with our media. The BBC offers us a glimmer of hope with a story about how the National Consumer Council (NCC) has made a report to a parliamentary inquiry in which it has highlighted the issues faced by many of us. From the article: 'Consumers face security risks to their equipment, limitations on their use of products, poor information when purchasing products and unfair contract terms.'"
In case you are not familiar with NCC, here is their latest newsletter which showcases some of the work they do:
http://www.ncc.org.uk/e-newsletter/winter2005.htm
The UK (where this article is about) does not have a fair use doctrine.
I am a free slashdotter. I will not be modded, blogged, DRM'd, patented, podcasted or RFID'd. My life is my own.
I'd love to get some of the latest CD, but, with the copy protected emblem on the back and saying it may not actually work on pretty much any device makes me keep my money.
The emblem on the front that says $12.95 is the main killer for me.
The lack of a Compact Disc tm logo is the icing on the cake.
The Compact Disk tm logo is my assurance I can play it, rip it, mix it, and load it in my MP3 player.
No gurantee of compatibility, no sale.
The truth shall set you free!
At the start of the year, we got new copyright-legislation. And it has been a serious setback as far as user-rights are concerned. It makes it illegal to circumvent copy-protection (unless the proctection is "weak", which is clearly specified in the law). And it makes it illegal to "discuss methods of circumventing copy-protection in an organized manner". We do have the right to discuss methods of blowing up the Parliament, but we can't discuss methods of cirumventing copy-protection. Yes, it's insane. yes, it goes against the right to free speech.
The whole process of drafting the law was just sickening. Politicians did hear from few "experts". and they mostly represented the copyright-holders, consumers weren't heard at all. The record-labels made some ludicrous claims to back up the legislation (among others, they claimed that one album by one Finnish artist (his songs all have Finnish lyrics, so he doesn't really have market outside Finland) had been dowloaded 6 million times on the net. That would mean that each and every person living in Finland (about 5.1 million people) had a copy of his album, and there would still be enough copies to give citizen of Stockholm a copy as well.
Add to this the sweet irony when the minister spearheading this legislation was found to have bought a pirated copy of a Prada bag...
About a week ago, the opponents of the new legislation started a campaign aimed against the legislation. They set up a website, where they discussed methods of cirumventing copy-protection. Some participants were involved in order to earn money (they requested a payment of 5 cents for their advice). They discussed about copy-protection in organised manner for a week, and then they turned themselves to the police. They want clear information as to what is and isn't allowed under the new legislation and they wanted to show the absurdity of the law.
Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
UK copyright law has the concept of "fair dealing", but exactly what constitutes fair dealing is not delimited in the statute books: it is for the courts to decide what is fair dealing and what is taking (liberties|advantage|the piss). And breach of copyright is a criminal offence in the UK.
If anybody was ever up in court for, say, taping an album to listen in the car, they would almost certainly be acquitted. How many members of the jury do you suppose have never done that? If they were convicted, it would give every copper in the land yet another reason to harass motorists. And of course, nobody would be allowed out of the court car park until every vehicle had been checked for illegal recordings. The situation would spiral rapidly out of control, until eventually an amnesty would have to be declared.
The UK has lots of unenforced laws, which are retained mainly for historical interest -- and also so the Old Bill can have some obscure reason to start fishing for more evidence against a suspect.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!