ACM Steps to The Plate on DMCA and CBDTPA

Jeff Grove of ACM's Public Policy Group has written an OpEd piece called: New Legislative Attempt to Regulate Technology Poses Additional Threats to Access. While Jeff elegantly explains the basics of the new proposed law. He goes one step further to express the same things I have been saying for months but a little differently.

"By building on the DMCA, the CBDTPA continues to shift the balance of intellectual property protection in favor of copyright holders, further eroding the rights of consumers and researchers. The U.S. Public Policy Committee of the ACM (USACM), Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, and others in the computing community have expressed concerns that the CBDTPA will raise the costs and degrade the performance of computers and software without benefiting consumers. As our community knows too well, legislating constraints on technology that may be developed, purchased, or used by law-abiding citizens has the potential to cause widespread and severe damage to society at large."

Jeff is exactly right. His article is worth a quick read. It gives me comfort to see such an established professional computing organization step to the plate and tell Washington they are going down the wrong path. 

2:12:01 AM    

Sony Music Lobbies for Ban on Markers - By Brian Briggs

Washington DC - Ralph Hughes of Sony Music testified in the Senate today urging lawmakers to enact legislation which would ban felt tip markers. "These innocuous looking writing instruments are the scourge of our society," he said holding up a Sharpie. "Not only can this black stick of death be used to violate the DMCA, but it could also be used to write the instructions to incubate the anthrax virus."

Didn't I warn you this was going to happen? 

12:00:57 AM