DMCA needs drastic overhaul
In response to the Oct. 10 column by Doug Isenberg, "The 'other' DMCA":
How can Isenberg honestly defend the DMCA? Its provisions prevent everyone (including journalists) from exercising long-recognized rights of "fair use" at the whim of any publisher.
Under the DMCA: CNET cannot publish a negative benchmark of Microsoft products without permission (what are the odds of that?); I can be forbidden from making a personal copy of a CD or movie; and I can be imprisoned for breaking "copy protection" devices of such astounding strength as a ROT13.
If there are parts of the DMCA worth saving, they should be bundled together into a new law that could be passed to replace this sadly flawed example of the power of lobbying.
Eric Johnson |
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