9th July 2010, 8:08 PM
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/...ir-use.ars
This really is an interesting model the US should adopt. Protecting copyright is important, yes, but just as important is protecting consumers from the excesses of DRM schemes, which this goes a long way towards. It also would nullify the worse parts of the DMC act. (For the record, the DMC isn't all bad. The safe-harbor provisions allowing content providers online to not be held accountable for individual user's violations so long as they take reasonable action in removing the content when it is reported. However, even that has the flaw that anyone can report anything, whether they own it or not, and the provider is forced to take all of it equally seriously. Numerous groups are already using it to silence criticism on Youtube, for example.)
This really is an interesting model the US should adopt. Protecting copyright is important, yes, but just as important is protecting consumers from the excesses of DRM schemes, which this goes a long way towards. It also would nullify the worse parts of the DMC act. (For the record, the DMC isn't all bad. The safe-harbor provisions allowing content providers online to not be held accountable for individual user's violations so long as they take reasonable action in removing the content when it is reported. However, even that has the flaw that anyone can report anything, whether they own it or not, and the provider is forced to take all of it equally seriously. Numerous groups are already using it to silence criticism on Youtube, for example.)
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)