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Congressman Hollywood Wants To Make DMCA Tougher
Stormy seas writes "Congressman 'Hollywood' Howard Berman (D-CA) used a House subcommittee hearing today to express his view that the DMCA was in need of a rewrite. In his view, it doesn't go far enough. During his opening remarks for a hearing on the PRO-IP Act, Berman said that the DMCA's Safe Harbor needs further scrutiny and that it might be time to make filtering mandatory. There's more: Berman also 'wants to examine the "effectiveness of takedown notices" under the DMCA, and he'd like to take another look at whether filtering technology has advanced to the point where Congress ought to mandate it in certain situations.'"
Oh, come on.
I agree that this is terrible policy - but:
1) The bill in question hasn't even been introduced
and
2) Even if it passed, would it kill anybody?
Yes, the Democrats are lame. Yes, the Democrats are crooked, they're only a hairsbreadth from the Republicans on ideological issues, and they are mostly just as much chronies to the status quo as the pachyderms are.
But to say that this is just as bad as the stuff the Republican congress was doing? Come on.
In any case, these don't look like serious proposals to me - it looks to me as if congressman Hollywood is merely running a defensive action against the possibility that the DMCA might be revoked or overturned. It's not the most original rhetorical device but for all I know it might be successful.
The good and new comes from no quarter where it is looked for, and is always something different from what is expected.
"Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...". Yet Congress deems certain images illegal, and the publishing or even mere possession of such images brings lengthy prison sentences.
But then, when has the government ever obeyed the Constitution?