MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Christian Science Monitor labels Kindle a ‘Trojan horse’

Xenophon · 03-19-2009, 05:06 PM

For those who are late to the party, it is worth knowing a few things about posters and their positions on DRM.

Pretty much no one here at MobileRead actually likes it.
There is a group of posters who keep referring to the "exception" as a reason why anyone can legally remove DRM from an eBook (one of them posted above). Other posters claim that this exception applies only to individuals who are themselves handicapped in ways that require read-aloud functionality.
There is another group of posters who keep claiming the removing DRM is "almost certainly illegal" under the DMCA. Or even "clearly illegal" under the DMCA. Some of them have posted above.
Still other posters (including me) maintain that the legal status of removing DRM from legally acquired content (for personal use only) is entirely unclear and will remain so either until congress passes new legislation or the courts straighten it out via case law and precedent. In taking this position, I am arguing from authority (always a poor tactic!) having heard eminent legal experts say that removing DRM from legally acquired content is obviously legal, and other equally eminent legal experts say that it is obviously illegal.
MobileRead site policy is to support legal acquisition of eBooks and to forbid discussion of techniques for "pirating" ebooks along with forbidding discussion of tools and sites for same. (I think I got that right...)

All of the above is speaking in terms of U.S. law, of course. Other countries, other laws.

We now return to your regularly scheduled disagreements...

Xenophon

03-19-2009, 05:06 PM	#28
Xenophon curmudgeon Posts: 1,487 Karma: 5748190 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Redwood City, CA USA Device: Kobo Aura HD, (ex)nook, (ex)PRS-700, (ex)PRS-500	For those who are late to the party, it is worth knowing a few things about posters and their positions on DRM. Pretty much no one here at MobileRead actually likes it. There is a group of posters who keep referring to the "exception" as a reason why anyone can legally remove DRM from an eBook (one of them posted above). Other posters claim that this exception applies only to individuals who are themselves handicapped in ways that require read-aloud functionality. There is another group of posters who keep claiming the removing DRM is "almost certainly illegal" under the DMCA. Or even "clearly illegal" under the DMCA. Some of them have posted above. Still other posters (including me) maintain that the legal status of removing DRM from legally acquired content (for personal use only) is entirely unclear and will remain so either until congress passes new legislation or the courts straighten it out via case law and precedent. In taking this position, I am arguing from authority (always a poor tactic!) having heard eminent legal experts say that removing DRM from legally acquired content is obviously legal, and other equally eminent legal experts say that it is obviously illegal. MobileRead site policy is to support legal acquisition of eBooks and to forbid discussion of techniques for "pirating" ebooks along with forbidding discussion of tools and sites for same. (I think I got that right...) All of the above is speaking in terms of U.S. law, of course. Other countries, other laws. We now return to your regularly scheduled disagreements... Xenophon