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Topic: 6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office (Read 4276 times) previous topic - next topic
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6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Today the U.S. Copyright Office's Librarian of Congress approved 6 new LEGAL ways of "breaking" or circumventing the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act):

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061122/digital_copyright.html?.v=5

It allows for and opens up the legal use of:

* cracking the DMCA copyright restrictions for DVD movies for film professors
* breaking of cell phone handset software locks
* research for cracking/testing CD Copy-Protection technologies
* breaking locks on electronic books for blind people (for read aloud software and similar use)
* breaking locks for computer software and video games whose machines are no longer available
* circumventing "dongles" that are damaged and can't be replaced.

Interesting...

These exemptions will go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register on November 27, 2006 and will remain in effect through October 27, 2009.

Here is the lowdown from the Copyright Office that goes into more detail of what's allowed:

http://www.copyright.gov/1201/

An excerpt relating to legal allowed cracking of CD Audio Copy Protection:

"Sound recordings, and audiovisual works associated with those sound recordings, distributed in compact disc format and protected by technological protection measures that control access to lawfully purchased works and create or exploit security flaws or vulnerabilities that compromise the security of personal computers, when circumvention is accomplished solely for the purpose of good faith testing, investigating, or correcting such security flaws or vulnerabilities."

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #1 –
Whoa. This is a VERY big deal. I'm honestly sort of shocked that they passed something like this. The most interesting one is #3.

I do wish they'd gone a little further, though.

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #2 –
Quote
Whoa. This is a VERY big deal. I'm honestly sort of shocked that they passed something like this. The most interesting one is #3.

I do wish they'd gone a little further, though.


It's because the Democratic party has regained control of Congress. I am sure they had no problem editing the bill seeing that they control, both the House and Senate now. 
budding I.T professional

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #3 –
Great news.
"You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight."  Neil Peart  'Resist'

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #4 –
Quote from: goodnews on
* breaking locks on electronic books for blind people (for read aloud software and similar use)

So for my blind mother:  I could say buy the cheap digital books from Amazon and crack the protection to convert it to a text format for her screenreader?  I know PDFs certainly cause us a lot of headaches 90% of the time because we can't afford the $1000+ for a new version of JAWS.  If I could get it in plain text or a Word Document she could read it no problem.
"Have you ever been with a woman? It's like death. You moan, you scream and then you start to beg for mercy, for salvation"

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #5 –
Yes, legally you could do that.

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #6 –
What is interesting is the fact they have now provided fundemental reasons to have cracking software.  I see a by-product of this being a surge in retail (legal and vendor supported) cracking software.

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #7 –
Yup. They can claim the e-Book cracking programs are for the blind, and the DVD ones for professors.
 

6 New DMCA Exemptions Issued today by Copyright Office

Reply #8 –
Quote from: HotshotGG on
It's because the Democratic party has regained control of Congress. I am sure they had no problem editing the bill seeing that they control, both the House and Senate now. 


1- This was not a bill or a law.  This was a rule set released by the Librarian of Congress, who has some limited powers in setting copyright regulations.  These rules will only last three years.  The DMCA itself is the law that granted these powers to the Librarian of Congress.
2- The recently elected Democrats do not currently control the House or Senate.  They will, but the current Republican majority is still in session.
3- The ebook, videogame, and dongle exceptions are all renewals of expiring ones first set forth in 2003, and are not new.
Creature of habit.