Quote:
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Originally Posted by slayda
DRM only makes copying difficult (and illegal) just like copying paper books is difficult (and illegal).
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I see that the Content Cartel's propaganda war against Fair Use is working.
Copying, under certain conditions, is
not illegal.
Let's assume that I have a magic box. This box will magically make a duplicate of whatever I put in it.
I have a beautiful (and expensive) copy of The Lord of the Rings. I want to read it at work, but I'm afraid that it will get damaged there. So I put it in my magic box and make a copy. That copy I take to work. The original goes back on my bookshelf.
This type of copying is
completely legal.
Now, if I give that copy to a co-worker when I'm done reading it, that's probably illegal. If I sell that copy, it's definitely illegal.
Also completely legal is for me to copy excerpts for purposes of reporting, criticism, etc.
To (sort of) quote Cory Doctorow: DRM does not distinguish between legal and illegal copying. It simply stops all copying.
But the Content Cartel thinks (and wants to push the idea) that all copying is illegal. There is no legal basis for that idea.