[KLUG Advocacy] Re: IP legalese and proceedings (was Re: Movies? Weird!!!)

[Robert G. Brown]

>Quoting "Robert G. Brown" <bob@acm.org>:
>> THe DMCA is bad law, not only because I don't agree with it, but because
>> it relies on the worst elements of the structure of the court system to
>> intimidate people. It has a chilling effect on a lot of activites.
>Damn that's the best way I've seen it put.
Thanks! 
I can deal with laws I don't agree with; there are routes to getting laws 
changed. They're not easy, and that's generally a good thing. Laws ought
not be passed without lengthy and due consideration.

>And as I always say, "any law that can be abused, will be abused."
Only a special case of "anything that can happen, will." Legislation must
be carefully written and discussed in depth, and it often is. I've been
involved in the process, and seen the amount of effort involved. The DMCA
does not show, shall we say, excessive signs of this.

>I get so sick of Hatch (R) saying "the industry wouldn't stand for abuse
>of this law." Famous last words of _any_ Congressman**.
The good Senator knows better.

>[ **NOTE:  I should be noted that Hatch _has_ had panels and meetings to point
>out actual _abuses_ of the DMCA by "Big Media."  
Hatch has an axe to grind against "Big Media", a term which was invented to
be a stalking horse for other terms, now considered to politically incorrect
for public discourse. In reality, I've founf that this term has come to mean
any news organization whose behavior you don't like that week, a flimsy way
to discuss public policy.

>But he still misses the "root problem" -- you should _never_ knowingly pass 
>laws that have gapping loopholes. ]
He misses it with due deliberation.

>> I'd like to see a reent URL on this, preferably a couple. I did acursory
>> search, times demands my attention elsewhere.
>It just came up last week I believe, because the first day of the criminal trial
>started.  I'll have to find some URLs for you.
Well, for all of us... 
							Regards,
							---> RGB <---