Book People Archive

Re: [ebook-community] Sen. Hollings plans to introduce DMCA sequel: The SSSCA (fwd)


 How depressing, Michael. However three (not new!) thoughts spring to mind:

1. Hopefully more and more people will come to value the freely available
treasures of the less recent past, and therefore those of you working to
secure as much as possible of what already exists for the public domain
are to be lauded for your hard work.

2. The new technology has created the means for the literary creator to
dispense with the middle-men, and not be dependent on the marketplace to
be able to publish. Let's fight to keep the means of production and
distribution as freely available as possible.

3. There are many people working to provide new free creative content,
and create non profit making ventures and works. We should support them
wholeheartedly, and if possible find ways to fund their work. It is not
easy, and is in fact a difficult issue of principle, for anyone with
anything to give to hold back from making maximum commercial gain from
it. It is hard for them not to sell out to support themselves and their
dependents. (As Dr Johnson said: 'Sir, a man who has a wife and children
has given hostages to fortune'.) But it is possible, and there are many
people who believe in the principle. 

I should add that those who create content, and disagree with my comments,
are of course wholly entitled to their view, and will no doubt cheerfully
embrace the capitalist approach to the creative arts...but as Nietszche
said: 'When you gaze into the abyss, take care that the abyss does not
also gaze into you.'

 Regards
  Tony
 
Michael Hart <hart@[redacted]> wrote: 

> http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46655,00.html

> New Copyright Bill Heading to DC
> By Declan McCullagh (declan@[redacted]
> 4:19 p.m. Sep. 7, 2001 PDT

> WASHINGTON -- Music and record industry lobbyists are quietly readying
> an all-out assault on Congress this fall in hopes of dramatically
> rewriting copyright laws.

> With the help of Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.), the powerful chairman of
> the Senate Commerce committee, they hope to embed copy-protection
> controls in nearly all consumer electronic devices and PCs. All types
> of digital content, including music, video and e-books, are covered.

> The Security Systems Standards and Certification Act (SSSCA),
> scheduled to be introduced by Hollings, backs up this requirement
> with teeth: It would be a civil offense to create or sell any kind of
> computer equipment that "does not include and utilize certified
> security technologies" approved by the federal government.

> It also creates new federal felonies, punishable by five years in
> prison and fines of up to $500,000. Anyone who distributes
> copyrighted material with "security measures" disabled or has a
> network-attached computer that disables copy protection is covered.