Bad Legislation Could Sabotage the Digital Age

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Monday, April 8, 2002 | ANDREW S. GROVE

[TroutStalker]

Last month, Sen. Fritz Hollings (D., S.C.) introduced a bill that is a bigger threat to America's information technologies industry than the recession or any external challenge yet encountered in its history. Misleadingly called the "Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act," the bill was stimulated by the entertainment industry in order to protect its copyrighted content from the encroachment of digital technology; in fact, some wags refer to it as the "Disney bill."

[Astronaut]

This bill is a disaster if you care about freedom. Fritz Hollings doesn't have a clue what an MP3 is, but for enough money he'll give enormous power to a small number of media giants. It is well established law that an individual can purchase a CD and make personal, non-commercial archival copies. Its called the Fair Use Doctrine, but Fritz wants to make us felons for ripping tracks to an MP3 player. I urge all Freepers to contact their senator and urge them to vote against this monstrosity. Also check out http://www.digitalconsumer.org.

[Thud]

And it's gotta have components manufactured in every congressional district!

[Bogey78O]

A woman has a right to privacy when killing a newborn but a person has no right to privacy to do what they wish with content they've legally purchased.

[WyldKard]

This legislation must be stopped at all costs. Thank God for the brave Republicans in the House who aren't bamboozeled by this, and realize what a Socialist, protectionist, anti-Capitalism bill this really is.

This is the bill brought to us by the morons who tried to convince us the VCR would destroy the movie industry.

The Middle Man record companeis are going the way of the Dodo, and they are doing all they can to fight evolution. But they will be swept away by the tides of change soon enough...