Hold Shift Key; Go to Jail

[nfotxn]

Keyboard Manufacturers Named in DMCA Suit

German-based media giant Bertelsmann Group has launched a 400 million dollar lawsuit against major hardware manufacturers, alleging they traffic in banned circumvention devices that can be used to illegally copy their music CDs. It says that the Digital Millenium Copyright Act entitles it to protection from devices that can be used to circumvent its technological protections against piracy. Specifically, it demands compensation for the inclusion of "Shift" buttons on standard computer keyboards.

It's a bummer this isn't a real suit 'cause it'd work real well in setting precident that the DMCA is an utterly retarded act. Don't get me wrong as I'm all for intellectual property but current copyright law is bullshit designed to protect established business rather than foster innovation. Maybe in a time where the economy in America stinks and boatloads of cash are floating across to the occupation in Iraq it's necessary to be more conservative.

Or maybe not. It's all about fair use and protecting everyone's right to have intellectual property. Not just those who have teams of lawyers and huge pre-existing IP assets.

Comments

[theotherqpc.livejournal.com]

*sigh*
really, when are they just going to realize that with the huge hacker/cracker collective and a total lack of popular support that copy-protected CDs *WILL* fail...
and look at how they've failed - shift keys, green sharpies...if it's this easy to circumvent their portection, why bother with it at all?

(insert keyboard manufacturer/Sanford marker co. conspiracy theory here)

[mathan.livejournal.com]

It's almost like, which came first - the Chicken or the Egg?

Blame Microsoft instead....

[nthebare.livejournal.com]

Holding down the shift key to stop cd's from autolaunching is part of Microsoft's OS. Keyboards with shift keys have been around before Microsoft's OS and are also used on Mac's and Unix hosts. Circomventing a lot of the copy protection is as simple as useing a non-Microsoft OS.

does this mean if they win we'll all have to type lowercase in the future (not to mention missing punctuation)