On Fri, Mar 16, 2001 at 01:34:12AM -0800, Evan Prodromou wrote: > >>>>> "DCL" == Dwayne C Litzenberger <dlitz@dlitz.net> writes: > > DCL> Remember: the computer is the tool of its owner. Programs > DCL> must invariably serve their users. > > What about the copyright owner? Are they supposed to be cast out into > the gutter to eat dirt and trash while heartless and greedy users -- > dare I say "PIRATES"? -- evade the copy controls on their rightful > intellectical poopery? You're damned right I do! I would direct your attention to a transcript if I could find it of US Senator Orrin Hatch speaking with officials from the RIAA as a very good example. Essentially, he listed several things and asked which of these the RIAA considered illegal. They included things such as making a copy of a CD to a cassette for use in the car, taking a copy to work, and both you and your wife having copies. He was answered - sortof. The beginning of an obviously carefully worded reply that none of those things he asked about were good (in the eyes of the RIAA naturally) was cut short when Senator Hatch interrupted, AFAICR almost shouting that not one of the things he asked about was illegal. I had a link to the transcript at one point, but cannot find it. Too bad, it makes for good bedtime reading. ;) All of this is significant because Senator Hatch is responsible for the DMCA in the first place and seems to be regretting it (send him a "we told you so" if you would, eh?) He realizes that people are trying to use the DMCA to keep you from doing things you are legally entitled to do so they can try and get more money out of you and artificially maintain controls as with traditional media in the face of new technology which would force them to give up much of the stranglehold they've had on the industry for so long. That's great for digital music and all, but the same thing applies to the controls in a pdf file. Why do I want warning dialogs in xpdf? So I know who is trying to impose these restrictions and who isn't. I don't intend to be stopped by them if I choose not to be, but I do want to know when they are there so I know where to direct my complaints (and in a futile attempt to try not to reward their stupidity with my money..) -- Joseph Carter <knghtbrd@debian.org> Free software developer <Manoj> I *like* the chicken
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