On Saturday, February 16, 2002, at 12:40 PM, Jei wrote:
-- Forwarded message --
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:16:13 -0500
From: Seth Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 09:38:42 -0500
To: David Farber [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Mike Godwin [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dave, it's interesting that at the same time some in
the government argue that U.S. constitutional projections
don't apply to the prisoners held at Guantanamo, other
government officials are insisting that the DMCA applies
universally.
--Mike
Note the two versions of this same line of thinking:
SAN JOSE -- The Digital Millennium Copyright Act properly
applies to activity outside the U.S., federal prosecutors
said in their case against a Russian company charged with
selling software decrypting Adobe e-Books. A construction
of the DMCA that applied it only within the borders of the
United States would thwart Congress's intent to prevent
circumvention technology from being available, the San Jose
U.S. Attorney's Office told U.S. Dist. Judge Ronald Whyte in
papers filed late last week. The ease with which materials
can be moved around the Internet makes it impossible to
conceive of an effective DMCA statute that applied solely
within the United States. That construction was Congress's
intent, as shown by its prohibition against importation of
certain technology, prosecutors argued.
Prosecutors said the judge didn't need to decide that issue,
however, because Elcomsoft was subject to prosecution for
conduct within the U.S. The company offered its program
...
--excerpt from a possible world--
TEHERAN -- The Protection of the Righteous Act properly applies to
activity outside the Muslim world, religious prosecutors said in their
case against an American company charged with selling books insulting to
the Prophet. A construction of the PRA that applied it only within the
borders of the Muslim nations would thwart the faithful's intent to
prevent circumvention technology from being available, the Teheran
Religious Magistrate told President Rafsanani in papers filed late last
week. The ease with which materials can be moved around the Internet
makes it impossible to conceive of an effective PRA statute that applied
solely within Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other Muslim states. That
construction was the faithful's intent, as shown by its prohibition
against importation of certain technology, prosecutors argued.
The PRA authorizes us to arrest, and if necessary, kidnap, those in
violation of the PRA anywhere in the world, Ayotollah Raghedi said. It
is no different from what the Great Satan has been doing for many
years, he added.
--end excerpt--
If the U.S. can claim the entire world must obey its laws, so can Saudi
Arabia, or Peru, or Bratislavistan.
No wonder they hate us so much.
--Tim May
