Free Speech? Nah - None For You

>> November 4, 2009


The blitz continues. What kills me is, I am funding it. Waddup widdat?
Little Miss Attila hooks and lands a big one... Via Boing Boing

Secret copyright treaty leaks. It’s bad. Very bad.
The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama’s administration refused to disclose due to “national security” concerns, has leaked. It's bad. It says:
  • * That ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn't infringing will exceed any hope of profitability.
  • * That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel.
  • * That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright.
  • * Mandatory prohibitions on breaking DRM, even if doing so for a lawful purpose (e.g., to make a work available to disabled people; for archival preservation; because you own the copyrighted work that is locked up with DRM) 
Please excuse moi while my head asplodes.

0 comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails

USO

USO
Donate!
Powered By Blogger

Congratulations!

You win the "I scrolled to the bottom of the blog award". Which is an empty paper bag of hot air. But then, if you made it this far, that is exactly what you've received. Glad you stopped by.
Please, while you're here, hit he USO tip jar. Thanks.

  © Blogger templates Inspiration by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP