DRM Circumvention Now Lawful For More Devices

BUL2294 writes: The U.S. Library of Congress' Copyright Office has published their newest rules regarding DRM circumvention. Much to the chagrin of car makers and agricultural vehicle manufacturers, DRM circumvention, with the exception of telmatics ("black box") and entertainment systems, and anything that would run afoul of DOT or EPA regulations, is now allowed for "diagnosis, repair or lawful modification of a vehicle function." In addition, jailbreaking is now extended to tablets, wearables, and smart TVs, but not to single-purpose devices like e-readers. An exemption has been carved out for security researchers to hack cars, voting machines, and medical devices — as long as that device is not being used for its purpose and is in an isolated environment. Finally, owners of abandoned video games that require server authentication (where such authentication is no longer available) may also circumvent DRM. DRM circumvention is NOT allowed for jailbreaking gaming systems and e-readers, and does not allow for "format-shifting" (e.g. moving e-books from one platform to another).

The full text of the new rules is available online (PDF), and will be published in the Federal Register on October 28, 2015.

Comments

Re:License to Private Server

[The-Ixian]

Nevermind, here is an excerpt:

Proposed Class 23: Abandoned Software – Video Games Requiring Server
Communication

Many modern video games—which may be played on a personal computer or a
dedicated gaming console—require a network connection to a remote server operated by
the game’s developer to enable core functionalities. Before some games can be played at
all, including in single-player mode, the game must connect to an “authentication server”
to verify that the game is a legitimate copy. Other games require a connection to a
“matchmaking server” to enable users to play the game with other people over the
internet in multiplayer mode. In the case of a game that relies on an authentication server,
the game may be rendered entirely unplayable if the server connection is lost. When a
matchmaking server is taken offline, the game may still be playable, though with online
multiplayer play disabled.

...

The Copyright Office set forth the following proposed exemption in the NPRM:
Proposed Class 23:

This proposed class would allow circumvention of
TPMs on lawfully acquired video games consisting of communication
with a developer-operated server for the purpose of either authentication
or to enable multiplayer matchmaking, where developer support for those
server communications has ended. This exception would not apply to
video games whose audiovisual content is primarily stored on the
developer’s server, such as massive multiplayer online role-playing games.