[d@DCC] [Fwd: Re: Editorial board MP3 from meeting on copyright]

From: Russell McOrmond <russell _-at-_ flora.ca>
To: "General Copyright Discussions (questions, organizing, etc)" <discuss (at) list.digital-copyright.ca>
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:37:32 -0500

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Editorial board MP3 from meeting on copyright
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:28:20 -0500
From: Russell McOrmond
To: letters@thecitizen.canwest.com

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/editorialboard/index.html


   I listened to the editorial board discussion "On copyright reform".
One of the problems I see is that the participants there were skirting
many of the questions you brought up.  Yes, it is a problem that people
are infringing copyright, and I agree we need to find viable solutions
-- but rather than going after the infringers they want to go after the
"enablers".   Who are these enablers they want to go after?
Communications service providers, hardware vendors, and software authors.

   Non-infringing people in the IT sector like me, just trying to make
our own businesses work.  I'm not Grokster (as much as they would like
to accuse me of being), I'm just an independent software author and
Internet consultant who also offers some community websites as a
volunteer in my spare time.


   While what they are advocating is massive regulation of the
technology sector, they lack the most basic technical knowledge.  The
discussion of "Digital Rights Management" is a case in point.  Their
understanding of the technology behind DRM is about as scientifically
valid as believing that paperback books can read themselves out loud, or
turn their own pages.  The rules Henderson kept talking about aren't
applied to content which they own, but to devices that *we* own.  If the
rules only impacted their content, and not the devices which we all own,
or eroding software choice (the most important factor in the competitive
software business), then we wouldn't be seeing the debate we have been
seeing.

   I describe this issue, which forms the core of the issue that
software authors like myself are concerned about, in the following article:

Even in the “DRM” debate, Content is not King.
http://blogs.itworldcanada.com/insights/2008/01/15/even-in-the-drm-debate-content-is-not-king/

   Their answer to the fair dealing question similarly side-stepped the
technology question, but this is because they don't understand that DRM
is primarily applied to devices, and the discussions about DRM on
content is a distraction.



Contact:  http://www.flora.ca/#contact
[duplicate contact info removed]

-- 
  Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
  Please help us tell the Canadian Parliament to protect our property
  rights as owners of Information Technology. Sign the petition!
  http://www.digital-copyright.ca/petition/ict/

  "The government, lobbied by legacy copyright holders and hardware
   manufacturers, can pry my camcorder, computer, home theatre, or
   portable media player from my cold dead hands!"
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