Fwd: Please Stand Against the New Copyright Bill

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 11:30:05AM -0400, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> We now think that it would be outrageous for a DVD to stop working but
> we accept not being able to play 78 RPM records (I just gave some
> away).

There are plenty of devices you can buy today that supports playing
78rpm records.  So you are completely wrong there.

8track on the other hand could be a problem.

> If the law enables sellers to yank back "content" by DRM, we are soon
> going to accept this behaviour.  Just like we accept software EOL from
> Microsoft and Red Hat.  We quibble with the details but we start to
> accept overall result.

Anything that requires remote access to work is not acceptable since
some users may be in places where that simply can't be done.  Why should
the thing they paid for not work in such places?  Books on paper seem to
work everywhere and this hasn't put publishers out of business yet.
Indigo/chapters may have put some of them out of business, but the book
format hasn't.  Libraries haven't either.

> I want us to think ahead to how the new law will affect the future.

How about their affect on the present?

> The key idea is that DRM allows fine-grained control by the vendor.
> We collectively already thought that control by vendors was too great
> in some cases: first sale doctrine.  You ain't seen nothing yet.
> 
> What are imaginable affects of this fine-grained control?
> 
> - many many more business models (many might be good).  For example,
>   rental of content (previously possible due to the mechanical
>   embodiment of content (i.e. physical DVD)).

Oh they would love rentals and libraries to be banned.  People should
have to bay for every use after all. :)

-- 
Len Sorensen
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