FCC: Here we go again
Posted by Pierre Igot in: TechnologyOctober 17th, 2003 • 5:01 am
The Washington Post has worrying news about the FCC seeking to introduce rules that would force technology manufacturers to include copy-protection hardware in personal computers and other consumer electronics.
It’s the same old story, but this time for high-definition TV signals rather than regular TV signals or digital music.
And it’s no wonder that the MPAA (the equivalent of the RIAA for the movie industry) is backing the proposal. As the article says, despite a lack of industry consensus, the MPAA does not want to wait until it must deal with the volume of piracy that plagues the music industry.
Simply put, this is the end of fair use as we know it, and it’s deeply disturbing. I am not a pirate. I have bought hundreds of CDs and dozens of DVDs over the years. I want to retain the ability to do casual copying for my own personal use. This is intensely irritating. I just hope that the technology industry will continue to provide increasingly affordable tools that make it easier for artists and creators to by-pass the recording/movie industry altogether. These guys do not deserve our money, and they do not deserve the right to control artists either.