Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70
I'm not sure I agree that all laws are enforceable. I mean I think that a law has to be considered reasonable for them to be enforceable. And some laws aren't enforced because they are only considered reasonable under certain circumstances. I mean technically there are laws against spitting on the sidewalk for example, but how often do you see it being enforced? The reason (I think) that that law is seldom enforced is that it was made law back when influenza was a potentially fatal problem (back around WWI) and they were worried about it being passed on. Likewise I think the publishers would have to prove that their claims were reasonable for DRM laws to be enforceable. I expect their arguments to eventually implode myself. If I buy something I expect to be able to use it as I see fit. Publishers don't like it then it's their problem.
|
You might be right about the origin of spitting laws, but I do know someone who was arrested for it in the 80s. Mind you, if it wasn't for that they would have found something else to arrest him for. I also know someone who was arrested for taking too long to cross a pedestrian crossing (it came as a surprise that was even a crime). And someone else who was arrested for having the slogan "don't die for me Argentina" on a T-shirt during the Falklands war (behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace).
They're all stupid laws if you ask me. In the UK it was also illegal to watch the film Zombie Flesheaters for about 10 years, and it's still technically illegal to watch either Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 or New York Ripper but I haven't heard of anyone being prosecuted for either of those for over 15 years now. But when that law was new they certainly were.
Removing DRM from digital files is a fairly recent crime. I doubt it was cheap for the entertainment industry to get that law passed, so it wouldn't really make sense if they never had any plans of enforceing it. Time will tell, I guess.