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Originally Posted by Shaggy
Whether or not DRM is legal doesn't have much to do with whether it's a license vs a sale. You can legally own something that has DRM on it. They are completely separate issues.
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In theory yes. In practice they tend to go hand in hand as DRM is often used to protect stuff publishers are trying to sell as a license.
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That's because public viewing violates copyright law, it has nothing to do with that warning. What you are allowed to do or not allowed to do is not defined by the warning that the MPAA puts on the DVD, it's defined by copyright law.
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Of course. I was just saying the warnings are stating the penalties of breaking copyright law. So I wasn't sure what you're above post's point was. They can put whatever warnings they want, but they only put ones that are backed by law--at least currently.
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You mean by upholding first sale doctrine? That's not really a slap on the wrist... and they still aren't clear that you are buying a license, which is why first sale doctrine continues to apply to things like CDs, DVDs, and software. There are plenty of places that you can buy used CDs, DVDs, and software because the individuals own them, the original company has no say in it.
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Yes, but most worthwhile (i.e. successful and needed) software is sold as a license (many as yearly licenses that you have to renew each year if you want it to keep working)--and you're right they still aren't clear. So they're still more or less doing what they were doing before--so yes it was slap on the wrist at most
Point being, current/recent rulings in the US are favoring copyright holders/publishers and not consumers. No reason to expect e-book rulings won't follow this trend.
Again, not saying I support that--just that's what the trend is and there's no reason to think it will change any time soon as corporations run the country, and will do so even more going forward with the Supreme Court ruling overturning the limits on corporate contributions to campaigns.