In the last week there have been two seperate blips on my anti-DMCA radar, the first one comes from our friends at XKCD in a webcomic titled “steal this comic” (see below)
This audio feasco was again apparent with the Walmart DRM case. (Where Walmart said they were going to shutdown their DRM servers as they were not selling DRMed music files any more. Shortly after that they reversed their decision after much public outcry and threats of lawsuits.)
I have run into the same sort of problem that Randall Munroe (the author of xkcd) has with the on demand service from Netflicks. Thank goodness that I don’t have any DRMed files on my windows box 🙂 .
The other big news that just broke on Ars Technica where the McCain campaign is angry that their youtube videos keep getting allegedly invalid DMCA take down notices. In a letter sent to youtube McCain’s campaign talks about how useful youtube has been to get out videos and info, but it also complains about the “chilling effect” of takedown notices that are aginst fair use of material. Of course, the campaign has the recourse of sending a counter notice and the video will be reposted, however, in the internet age and the frenzy leading up to the elections every vote and view counts… and like all legal things, these counter notices take time. Of course, youtube doesn’t want to loose their safehaven shelter so they will keep taking down the videos.
Hmm… lets see if McCain comes out with a pledge to fix the DMCA… that would go a long way in pushing me one way or the other in the election :-).
This really reminds me of the problems that people like Operation Clam Bake has had vs the Church of Scientology. The COS can spew all the take down notices they want and the rest of the net really can’t do much about it.
But in the end McCain is in good company, after all just swing by Chilling Effects and see all the other folks who have goten C&D letters.