D
djduquet
Guest
Read more here:A story surfaced yesterday that a new and tougher rewrite of the DMCA is in the works. Sponsored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI) (and not Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) as reported by Cnet), the bill would drastically tighten current laws and close some of the "loopholes" that the RIAA and MPAA think exist now. Of course, what they call loopholes, we call Fair Use.
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http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060424-6660.html
My reactions:
This is a topic in which I spend a lot of time thinking about. Actually I'm at University right now preparing for a law degree so as to work with international copy protection laws.
Primarily I’d like to deal with the RIAA stand point on music sales and stringent insistence of their copy protection standards. While they do, with out a doubt, over look any sort of possibility of investing with new technologies by getting in on the ‘ground floor’ to ensure a safe, legal, consistent, and profitable digital future, the RIAA has artists rights in mind. Now keep in mind that the methods upon which this institution has approached this has been a bit of a problem. They sue children.
So by suing children what does the RIAA accomplish? Do they set an example for the rest of the consumer market? Possibly, the statistical evidence isn’t the strongest but nor is it totally lacking. What they are doing with out any real argument is forcing an otherwise law abiding population into breaking laws. So children are growing up with breaking laws which results in a mind set that such activities are OK and excusable. Which they are not.
Why is it not excusable to download music with out payment? The answer is far from simplistic yet is very interesting nevertheless. To simplify it to an extent for non legal conversational purposes the issue begins with globalization. No longer will the economies of the super power nations rest with manufacturing of good, but it will instead shift into the intellectual property of IDEAS of a nation’s citizens. Whether that be artists, scientists, or engineers, the ideas that these people work for need to be protected in order to ensure that nations and individuals will be able to compete in a global market.
The RIAA is in one sense accomplishing this goal. They understand that intellectual property is the wave of the future and is vital, yet they are alienating the consumer base which has historically made them profit. What I propose should be done is an educated coalition representing the rights and welfare of the consumer of intellectual goods should appear in front of Washington and members of the RIAA in order to address this problem on many levels. First, the law which is hurting new software and technology. Second, the attitude of the consumer base. And third the method in which records, and all works of intellect, should be sold.
It is with this basic outline with which I, and many others, would like to reform laws concerning this highly important issue.
Issues regarding Fair Use and freedom to use programmes to listen to music on computers and digital audio players is a hot topic. Yet it raises issues regarding the protection of intellectual property. I'd like to have a nice lenghthy ontopic discussion with the members of this board upon this topic.