nonpareil_one
Senior Heliman
Location: Dallas, TX
| It seems as though some of the EU countries have laws similar to our own ridiculous DMCA which has a clause in it such as follows in 17 U.S.C. 1201 part 2
(2) No person shall manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof, that—
(A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title;
(B) has only limited commercially significant purpose or use other than to circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title; or
(C) is marketed by that person or another acting in concert with that person with that person’s knowledge for use in circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.
Here's the primary flaw with that... What defines that something's "primary" use is to circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work? DirecTV went on a rampage suing people for smart card reader / writers that can be used in any number of security implementations. Windows 2000/XP systems even support them natively as login tokens. But they sent letters out and DID sue people over 20-30 dollar smart card readers because they could potentially be used to "circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access".
The primary flaw with these modern anti-consumer copyright laws is that you are offered a settlement, or it goes to court at which point you spend your own money with no hope of recompense just to defend your rights. And these companies, when they do, file the lawsuits state by state with dozens of "John Doe" defendents on them so as to have a state law firm rack up on the settlement payouts all the while spending a minimum of time on the case. So basically, these companies are suing for profit against consumers. It's a sad state of affairs...
NPO |
