[LINK] Fwd: vip-l: US permits phone-cracking and DVD copying exemptions to copyright law.

[Adam Todd]

I think this is a shining example of how short sighted the original 
legislation was in it's development.

We keep being told by Government that these laws (US or Australia) are 
demanded by the community at large and are to ensure we have good laws for 
the future.

However, time and time again, we see laws repealed, modified or exempted, 
because the foresight given by the legislators was limited to the very 
small lobby bodies that are claimed to be representing the community.

Far too often laws are made to "take account of new technologies" but in 
the same stance they limit old, present and future technologies.

That's not foresight.  That's blatant disregard for intelligence.

But as we sadly know from too many decades of history, Politicians aren't 
there for the good of the people.

At 08:52 PM 25/11/2006, Jan Whitaker wrote:

>>US permits phone-cracking and DVD copying exemptions to copyright law.
>> >
>> >
>> >Thursday 23rd November 2006
>> >PC Pro - London,UK
>> >The library's Copyright Office has determined that it will now be legal
>> >to break and remove the software locks on phones so that they can be
>> >used with any chosen carrier. Not only will this let consumers get full
>> >value from their handsets, it will also increase the scope for the reuse of
>>handsets.
>>
>> >The change had been resisted by Hollywood, who suggested that VHS tape
>> >extracts be used instead, but professors argued that DVDs preserve a
>> >more accurate record of the original film print's colours and dimensions.
>> >
>> >Under the other exemptions introduced yesterday in the US, blind people
>> >are now permitted to circumvent any DRM on electronic books, so that
>> >they can use tools such as text-to-speech software to read them.
>> >
>> >The Copyright Office also authorised
>> >
>> >cracking the DRM on software where the technology to read it is no
>> >longer available and if the software's use is restricted by a dongle
>> >that is damaged and cannot be replaced. Finally, the Copyright Office
>> >has given permission for testing DRM technologies on CDs for any
>> >possible computer security vulnerabilities. This follows the widespread
>> >use of two such technologies by Sony BMG which opened a significant
>>security hole in Windows.