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DMCA Means You Can't Delete Files On Your PC?

Posted by kdawson on from the heck-of-a-way-to-apply-for-a-job dept.

DragonHawk writes "According to Wired, John Stottlemire found a way to print duplicate coupons from Coupons.com by deleting some files and registry entires on his PC. Now he's being sued for a DMCA violation. He says, 'All I did was erase files or registry keys.' Says a lawyer: '[The DMCA] may cover this. I think it does give companies a lot of leverage and a lot of power.' So now the copyright cartels are saying that not only can we not copy things on our computers, but we can't delete things on our computers? Time to buy stock in Seagate."

4 of 511 comments (clear)

  1. Here's a way to print as many coupons as you want by The+MAZZTer · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Just increase the "number of copies" value in the print dialog and off you go. I mean really, it's not that hard. Or save the HTML/PDF to disk and print away whenever you want.

    And if measures are in place to prevent any of that from working... I don't want the coupons. It's definitely not worth the trouble or the ActiveX controls that would be bogging down my PC.

    Granted, this doesn't cover any "I agree to not print out extra copies of this coupon under penalty of death blah blah blah" but the summary indicates this centered around the PRINTING of coupons, not the use of extra ones.

    It's only common sense that if you send something (like a coupon) to an end user that what they do with it is now out of your control.

  2. Checkpointing in VMware by jeffmock · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I wonder if this makes checkpointing in VMware a DMCA circumvention measure as well?

    -jeff

  3. Why bother searching and deleting stuff by really? · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Just run the OS in a VMware instance. Print, or whatever, your stuff, revert to earlier snapshot. Simple, easy, reliable. Or one can use the same nonpersistent disk as one uses for browsing the web with Windows and IE.

    Will "they" go after the vmware people next?

    --

    "Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead." A. Huxley
  4. Re:First post? by Poltras · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Meh. It will get deleted anyway. You should have put DMCA in your sig.

    --
    Of Code And Men