Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
The Sony vs Universal case, a.k.a. " the Betamax case" ruled that potentially copyright-infringing tech is legal if it as substantial non-infringing use. In the case of "read aloud" functions, making books accessible to the blind is non-infringing; that makes the technology to read them aloud, and to break anti-readaloud DRM, legal.
In order to prosecute for copyright infringement, the IP owner would have to move against the individual end user, claiming s/he made an illegal copy. Since format shifting for personal use is legal in the US (that was the non-infringing point of the Betamax case: you can timeshift TV shows to watch them later, & format shift them to your own device), there's no infringement.
Both the DRM-breaking tech, and the act of breaking that kind of DRM, are legal. (IMHO. IANAL.) |
Agreed. And if/when it is ever contested in court, I'm sure that will be the outcome.