CNET | NEWS.COM WEEK IN REVIEW The Entire Tech Week in a Single Email http://news.com.com/2100-1023-946316.html -- Saturday, July 27, 2002
Imagine trying to boot up your computer and finding that a hacker had disabled it or destroyed your data, and then imagine that you had no legal recourse because the U.S. government sanctioned it. That nightmare could become a reality if Hollywood executives get their way. A bill introduced into the House of Representatives would allow copyright owners to legally hack into peer-to-peer networks and disable PCs used for illicit file trading. The measure would dramatically rewrite federal law to permit nearly unchecked electronic disruptions if a copyright holder has a "reasonable basis" to believe that piracy is occurring. The bill would immunize groups such as the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America from all state and federal laws if they disable, block or otherwise impair a "publicly accessible peer-to-peer file-trading network." The bill doesn't specify what techniques, such as viruses, worms, denial-of-service attacks and domain name hijacking, would be permissible. It does say that a copyright hacker should not delete files, but it limits the right of anyone subject to an intrusion to sue if files are accidentally erased. That's just the tip of the entertainment industry's anti-piracy push. A lawyer for the MPAA said we could also expect a new bill soon to curtail the piracy of digital TV broadcasts. Other proposals likely will seek to limit piracy by outlawing future components that receive digital TV broadcasts unless they follow anti-copying standards. Future hardware and software would treat digital television differently if it were designated as copy-protected, preventing people from saving multiple copies or uploading them. Another standard would, in industry jargon, "plug the analog hole" by embedding watermarks in broadcasts and limiting the redistribution of broadcasts with those hidden watermarks. In a related battle, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn key portions of a controversial 1998 copyright law. The suit asks a federal judge to rule that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is so sweeping it unconstitutionally interferes with researchers' ability to evaluate the effectiveness of Internet-filtering software. By suing on behalf of a 22-year-old programmer who is researching the oft-buggy products, the civil liberties group hopes to prompt the first ruling that would curtail the DMCA's wide reach. -- Larry C. Lyons ColdFusion/Web Developer Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer EBStor.com 8870 Rixlew Lane, Suite 204 Manassas, Virginia 20109-3795 tel: (703) 393-7930 fax: (703) 393-2659 Web: http://www.ebstor.com email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done. -- ______________________________________________________________________ Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/cf-community@houseoffusion.com/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
