The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released version 4 of their "Unintended Consequences" document, which details problematic side effects arising out of the oft-maligned Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Much of the criticism is targeted specifically at section 1201 of the act, which is targeted at circumvention of copyright protection systems.
This seemingly innocuous provision was originally meant to provide a safeguard for copyright holders against those who would engage in piracy, but it has been wielded—and sometimes more importantly, threatened to be wielded—against a wide range of legitimate activity as well. It is important to note that section 1201 does not merely restrict those who actually engage in piracy, but also those whose actions or creations could be used to do so.
More...Credit: ars technica
Home
