The Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the Real World

Slideshow Transcript

1. Slide 1: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act An Example of Analogue Circumvention and Idiocy
2. Slide 2: I bought a GPS for a cross-country trip.
3. Slide 3: The GPS came with software.
4. Slide 4: But there was a sticker on the back. What did it say?
5. Slide 5: “You, valued customer, are our bitch.”
6. Slide 6: “The license is on the CD. But you may not see it until you agree to abide by it.”
7. Slide 7: Fortunately, there are tools to circumvent weak locks.
8. Slide 8: Step 1: Cut along the dotted lines.
9. Slide 9: Step 2: Cut along the bottom of the paper case. Be careful not to scratch the CD.
10. Slide 10: Step 3: Enjoy your victory over The Man. Protection circumvented, license not agreed to. However...
11. Slide 11: If the Digital Millennium Copyright Act applied to the physical world...
12. Slide 12: The manufacture of scissors would be illegal. The DMCA makes it illegal to make or distribute devices that can be used to break digital locks, no matter how flimsy.
13. Slide 13: Under the DMCA, circumventing any digital lock, no matter the reason, is illegal. If the DMCA applied to the physical world, cutting out the CD to read the license before agreeing to it would warrant fine of $1,000,000 or 10 years in prison.
14. Slide 14: The End For more information, go to Seven Years under the DMCA: (http://www.eff.org/wp/unintended- consequences-seven-years-under-dmca) and support the EFF: (http://www.eff.org)
15. Slide 15: Credits: Presentation created by Wellington Grey http://www.WellingtonGrey.net And released under a creative commons license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ Photography by Wellington Grey http://Wellingtongrey.Smugmug.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshstaiger/274386376/