Hollywood and Disney Lobbyists attempt to destroy computer owner's rights

NewsForge ^

[dheretic]

http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=01/10/19/1546246 is where I found this article on the SSSCA. The bill does exist and will be testified about soon by Hollings D-SC. Now is the time to email the letter from the EFF that I copied below to your congresscritter and tell them to stop taking away your right to use your computer the way you want to. Now I know some of you are thinking along the lines that "stealing copyrighted materials" is what this is trying to prevent, but that is no more true than the argument that trigger locks are put on guns for your own protection. That is what the SSSCA basically is, a universal trigger-lock for PCs and all other digital devices.

Dear Sen./Rep. [Surname]:

I am writing to express my grave concern about the draft Hollings/Stevens copyright legislation, "Security Systems Standards and Certification Act" (SSSCA), principally authored by the Walt Disney corporation. This bill, would force virtually all consumer electronics to include mandatory "digital rights management" (DRM) copy-prevention and use-control mechanisms to "protect" all digital content (whether copyrighted or not), and essentially destroy completely the public's already endangered fair use rights, first sale doctrine, and public domain rights. I urge you to oppose this legislation.

Congress and the courts have always struck a careful balance between preserving incentives for authors while ensuring public access to our cultural heritage. The SSSCA represents an outright assault against this balanced view of copyright. Under the SSSCA, Congress would abdicate its responsibility to protect the public's interest in copyright, leaving content owners to dictate terms to technology companies behind closed doors. The public would be left with no voice in this process, and with crippled technologies that permit only the uses that Hollywood has the unilateral ability to control.

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), University professors and visiting foreign programmers are already being legally threatened by the music industry and even criminally prosecuted at the behest of software companies for what always have been and should be legal activities such as research and making proprietary formats more accessible. The DMCA was a major step backwards for both the public side of the copyright bargain and the rights of scientists and researchers to study and report on computer security.

Hollywood forces are now hoping that this "DMCA 2" will reach even further, creating a direct federal mandate that DRM systems be included in every technology that interacts with digital content. Please do not let this happen. I urge you to vote AGAINST SSSCA when introduced. The pendulum has already swung too far away from the public interest.

Sincerely,

[Your name & address]

[SoDak]

If Disney is behind it, it has to be evil.

[lavaroise]

They can kiss my a$$. I can program whatever I want and disseminate whatever program I want that does no direct harm (such as viruses etc.) If they cannot have peaceful resolutions to that end and send the FBI or some Computer-BATF to enforce the law with barrels, this country is going to be very sorry. Self defense is a duty, not a right, let alone a priviledge.

[VA Advogado]

If Disney is behind it, it has to be evil.

They've really come a long way since the 50's. Walt would roll over in his grave if he could see what happened to his company. . his vision.

[TLI]

These folks have truly lost it. There is not a snowball chance in hell of them stopping OS's that have been in the computing industry for 20 some odd years. What a bunch of clymers.

[TheDon]

DRM is not possible on PCs, due to the processor and the operating system. It is also not feasible. That is why DRM is being developed on other devices such as DVD and CR readers, and custom processor/OS handhelds for MP3 and ebooks. That is the wave of the future for DRM, not PCs.

[VeritatisSplendor]

Even apart from the damage to "the public interest", this proposed law is obviously unconstitutional.

[Lazamataz]

I own guns so that I may program in peace.

[bobwoodard]

DRM is not possible on PCs, due to the processor and the operating system.

Why do you say that? MS has spent a good bit of time promoting their DRM v2 (which was just cracked). Are you referring to a specific implementation?

[Centurion2000]

I dont worry about ani copying protocols too much .... some kid will crack the software right after they come out with it.

[IRtorqued]

Even apart from the damage to "the public interest", this proposed law is obviously unconstitutional.

when has the Constitution ever stood in the way of post 1913 legislation?

[sourcery]

Already posted

[ikka]

Walt would roll over in his grave if he could see what happened to his company. . his vision.

Walt was a fascist control freak. A few years ago I got to see a museum exhibit of some of his internal designs for new exhibits. They were right out of an EU bureaucrat's wet dream - no cars allowed, everything light rail, people being told where to live via planned development, etc. etc.

[Blade]

Big Business and Big Brother, together again. No surprises here.

First, they fought to restrict encryption technology in the name of--what else?--national security.

Now they're going after Open Source.

Be wary everybody.

[VA Advogado]

They were right out of an EU bureaucrat's wet dream - no cars allowed, everything light rail, people being told where to live via planned development, etc. etc.

A man is allowed to do what he wants with his own private property. The bottom line is Disney has become another liberal infested media establishment and is now as hostile to family values as Walt was friendly to them.

[TheDon]

which was just cracked? need I say more?

[wtc911]

In 1971 a college professor of mine asked the class to list the five most influential public figures of the 20th century. Walt Disney was named by @ 75% of us. I am sure that each of us thought that Walt would be on our list alone. As a group we were pleased and surprised that this man meant so much to us. Remember, this was at the height of the Viet Nam war.

Now Disney exists for one reason; to use our kids' need for peer acceptance to route our money to their bottom line. For the last five years at least I have not allowed any of my money to be channelled to the new Disney. We have made no trips to Orlando or Anaheim. We spend no money in the stores or at the movies on their products. We do the same with Calvin Klein and United Colors of Benetton. At first the kids didn't understand our position. Now that they are older they do.

[strela]

Where is there any documentation or proof that the Walt Disney Corporation authored this proposal? I have been unable to find any.

[muir_redwoods]

Teaching someone how to break the law cannot be against the law. I teach martial arts. I can teach anyone in good health and with reasonable fitness how to kill someone. Such an act could clearly be illegal if it were not done in response to a real threat. Yet the teaching cannot be illegal. To create a website where the technique is explained or discussed cannot be illegal. To write a book explaining the technique or the theory behind it cannot be illegal.

The analogy is clear, I hope, to teaching or writing de-incryption programs

[republicandiva]

They've really come a long way since the 50's. Walt would roll over in his grave if he could see what happened to his company. . his vision.

You're absolutely right. My father was the head of an art department for a big publishing firm - they did a lot of work with Walt Disney - the Disney of today is a total perversion of what he had intended. Mr. Disney has already rolled over in his grave more than a few times over what's happened to his dream!