Senator Wants Limits On Copy Protection
from the reshaping-the-DMCA dept
Slowly, but surely, some politicians are realizing that the DMCA has a ton of problems. Last week, we had an article stating that copy protection was a crime, and now that might become legally true. While there have been a few “consumer friendly” bills introduced to modify the DMCA, a new one that is scheduled to be introduced next week seems to go even further, telling companies that they cannot use copy protection if it presents the consumer from reselling the digital good. While, in some ways, this sounds good, it could take regulation too far in the opposite direction. I still think this is more of a business issue than a legal one, but it will be worth following these types of bills. Of course, the article has some quotes from the RIAA vehemently disagreeing with the concept (how could anyone think it?) that there’s anything at all wrong with the DMCA. This bill would also adjust the DMCA to end the RIAA-Verizon fight, saying that the copyright holder would first need to file a lawsuit before requesting the name of an alleged infringer from an ISP. Finally, it includes a similar provision to other copy protection bills, saying that anyone using copy protection needs to have it clearly marked on their materials, so consumers know what they’re buying.
