[citw150] Steven Petty Citw 150 Lesson Three Question Six

I?d like to speak about a societal issue that I feel infringes on everyone?=
s rights whether you use the Internet or not, that is the Digital Millenniu=
m Copyright Act, or DMCA. The DMCA is trash, its designed by corporations t=
hat think they are losing money somehow to teenagers that download music. I=
ts also designed by the film and movies industry, and by video game compani=
es. If you own a dvd movie, did you know you are allowed to have a backup c=
opy of it? You know why, because you purchased a license from the film stud=
io when you bought that dvd, and if it the disc breaks or becomes unplayabl=
e, you still have that license. Why would you buy another license? But now =
the film industry is making it so you have to buy another license to watch =
their movie. Copyright laws state that you are allowed one backup copy of a=
nything you own that is digital, tapes, movies, games, as long as it is an =
exact copy. And an exact copy includes any protection the manufacturer has =
placed on your tape or disc to prevent copying. Sounds like a paradox doesn=
?t it? It is now that we have the DMCA. The DMCA prevents you from copying =
stuff you own for your own personal use. It?s impossible to create an exact=
 copy of a video game, the protection on some game discs, or the discs them=
selves, are not readable by the devices most people would use to copy them =
with. So, these industries, armed with the DMCA, and ridiculous copy protec=
tion schemes have just taken away one of your rights as a citizen who owns =
digital media, a right that was once protected under US and international c=
opyright laws. For more information on copyright laws check out http://www.=
copyright.gov/, and if you make your own mix cds, just be glad you don?t li=
ve in New Zealand, more about that here http://www.consumer.org.nz/topic.as=
p?category=3DLegal%20Rights&subcategory=3DTravel%20%26%20entertainment&doci=
d=3D1800&topic=3DCopyright%20law&title=3DYour%20rights%20explained&contentt=
ype=3Dsummary=20

=20

Steven Petty

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