Are DRM and Fair Use Mutually Exclusive?
Posted on January 28th, 2005 by JTkPosted in Geek |
Although the DRM movement of the MPAA, the RIAA, and their surrogates in congress and the FCC is still not very advanced or effective in practice, these groups are still pressing to force tech companies to include copy-protection hardware in personal computers and other consumer electronics.
However, some countries are discovering that proposed DRM solutions are incompatible with their laws. Additionally, advocacy groups in the U.S. are fighting the good fight to try and preserve fair use in the face of blatant attempts to circumvent fair use rights with DRM.
While the RIAA and MPAA get all the headlines, the very people that are supposed to be standing up for the rights of we the people have figuratively and literally told fair use advocates told to sit down and shut up. Implicit in these types of reactions from the government is the the R in Digital Rights Management stands for the rights of big business and has nothing to do with the rights of individuals.
If you are interested in getting more info about DRM vs. Fair Use - check out the EFF DRM page, and if you are interested in helping to maintain our collective fair use rights, consider donating to the EFF.