Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer
Not as different as you might think Helen because actually, under the anti-circumvention section of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the "DMCA"), DRM removal is illegal, not just "murky".
From the DMCA:
And from the Electronic Freedom Foundation:
How dare you make reasonable changes to software you bought to make it more useful to you! You filthy pirates disgust me.
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Kind of murky in Canada, just as copying/downloading is unless recent laws have been passed that I am unaware of.
Years ago, Canada passed laws imposing an exra charge on cassette tapes, photocopy paper, CD recorders/copiers and the within last ten years blank CDs Ipods et. al, and hard drives.
The money collected this way was to go to a fund to compensate musicians/writers etc. Can't imagine that the money was distributed in a fair and equitable manner, but maybe it was. My understanding (from an article I read years ago) was that if they distributed the money to everyone deserving it, that they would all have to give back change from a penny.
I think that these charges were levied, not to protect musiicians/authors etc., but to allow the sale of cassette recorders, photocopiers for public use (at several thousand a pop way back when). The main beneficiaries were large electronic manufacturers.
These laws made things murky in Canada at least, as it was no longer illegal to copy copyrighted works as the originators were supposed to be getting compensated according to government imposed standards. It was illegal to sell these copies, but this did not slow many down while the hardware was relatively expensive, profits were high, and the internet was young.
Perhaps instead of suing individuals, who are mostly not capable of paying huge fines or even court costs, (not saying whether it is right or wrong to sue them, jut low ROE) but the companies who developed and sold the devices to us, the masses, should be made responsible. Could get pretty ugly with some companies having to sue themselves.
Sorry to stray so far off topic, can't stop myself at times.
I still contend that the small amount going to the copyright holder is unlikely to severely impact the proud owner of an ereader but that is just as off topic as defined by the OP.
Oh well, once the Electronic Freedom Foundation has freed all of the electronics, things will be different I am sure.
Helen