06/12/2004

Copyright, DMCA, and You

The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a frightening piece of legislation for anyone who believes in fair use. Politicians, of course, are not required to be technologically (or otherwise) intelligent, so when the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) teamed up, it is no surprise they got it passed. However, there is someone on our side. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) constantly battles to protect your "digital" rights. Since all these topics are so new, it is difficult to even know where you stand. If you share music, are you breaking the law or not? These guys can help get you an answer, and defend you in court if it comes to that. They have provided a volume of information I cannot match - so I'll just recommend you check their site out, and see how this legal back-and-forth will affect you.



the_doc