(no subject)
http://msn-cnet.com.com/Testing+Microsoft+and+the+DMCA/2008-1082_3-996787.html?tag=nl
http://msn-cnet.com.com/Game+maker+sues+over+nude+volleyball/2100-1043_3-5571234.html?part=msn-cnet&subj=ns_5571234&tag=msn_home>1=6120
People complain about the Patriot Act taking away freedoms, yet they fail to see the DMCA is FAR worse.
The first case is tan-amount to censorship. Restricting what someone can and cannot do to a physical product they purchased (e.g. an XBox or PS2) is like restricting someone from opening up the hood of their car and taking out a few parts they don't want. While I have not read his book, it is described as an informational tutorial: "This does that ... you can tweak that to do this ... etc." Having a book blocked because of fears of being sued is unbelievable. While it may technically be legal for the companies to sue him because of it (for the time being anyway), it shouldn't be. Having that kind of power is worse than having monopoly power: now not only can you control the market, but you also control what the market can do with your products.
I can't believe those guys lost the second case. They were not selling their hack, they just posted "Hey, look what we did ..." on a message board. Hardly a valid argument for copyright infringement.
Cases like this make me wonder just how far our society will take the idea of copyright. Originally, copyrights were a way to protect someone else from selling your product as their own. Now, it seems, that not only do they do that, but they also prevent consumers from modifying the product and talking about it.
Generally, it is not the engineers at these companies that mind if someone modifies the products; its the marketing and legal departments. One of these days they will realize that if you let your customers roam freely with your products, you keep them happy.
http://msn-cnet.com.com/Game+maker+sues+over+nude+volleyball/2100-1043_3-5571234.html?part=msn-cnet&subj=ns_5571234&tag=msn_home>1=6120
People complain about the Patriot Act taking away freedoms, yet they fail to see the DMCA is FAR worse.
The first case is tan-amount to censorship. Restricting what someone can and cannot do to a physical product they purchased (e.g. an XBox or PS2) is like restricting someone from opening up the hood of their car and taking out a few parts they don't want. While I have not read his book, it is described as an informational tutorial: "This does that ... you can tweak that to do this ... etc." Having a book blocked because of fears of being sued is unbelievable. While it may technically be legal for the companies to sue him because of it (for the time being anyway), it shouldn't be. Having that kind of power is worse than having monopoly power: now not only can you control the market, but you also control what the market can do with your products.
I can't believe those guys lost the second case. They were not selling their hack, they just posted "Hey, look what we did ..." on a message board. Hardly a valid argument for copyright infringement.
Cases like this make me wonder just how far our society will take the idea of copyright. Originally, copyrights were a way to protect someone else from selling your product as their own. Now, it seems, that not only do they do that, but they also prevent consumers from modifying the product and talking about it.
Generally, it is not the engineers at these companies that mind if someone modifies the products; its the marketing and legal departments. One of these days they will realize that if you let your customers roam freely with your products, you keep them happy.