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Submission from Mark Robinson received on July 28, 2001 4:50 PM via e-mail
Subject: Digital Copyright Issues
There have already been a large number of persecutions - not prosecutions, but persecutions - against individuals. Some examples being: DeCSS, Matel censoreware defeator, and the Adobe E-reader case. Each of these in completely unjustified in legal valied and moral structure.
The DeCSS case was launched by the MPAA against 2600. Under normal copyright law this would not have any legal merit, but under the DMCA the MPAA may block the free speech of 2600. DeCSS is a program for viewing DVDs, not copying them. A device for copying DVDs is called a DVD press and is a physical piece of hardware.
The Matel censoreware defeator allowed people to view the list of blocked web sites for the program. Matel launched a law suit against the author claiming that he violated the DMCA. Again, more personal
liberties were violated to appease a large corporation.The Adobe E-Reader case was where a Russian scientist, Dmitry Sklyarov, who found a way to read e-reader documents without the aforementioned reader. After coming to the united states to give a presentation on the method he used, he was arrested and is currently awaiting trial.
All of these cases involving *access* control not copy control. Copy control is impossible. People who violate copyright law to acquire intellectual property will not be concerned about another new law they are violating. What this will do is allow companies to sue law abiding citizens whenever they desire. Typically, from the examples above, it's cover up for their own follies and weaknesses.
I must ask that you reconsider any changes to the Copyright Act for the sake of Digital anything. More often this will swing the balance of rights firmly into the corner of corporations, which will never have the best interests of consumers at heart. Current laws are perfectly sufficient for a thriving Digital economy in Canada. The modifications will only stiffle independant innovation, critiicism of work(either technological or literary) and generally make Canada a far less pleasant to live and work.
Mark Robinson
Student of Computer Science and Human Nature
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