I just saw this on a RSS feed:

Just before closing for the holidays, legislators introduced a new proposal designed to curb redistribution of movies.The Digital Transition Content Security Act would embed anticopying technology into the next generation of digital video products. If it makes its way from Capitol Hill to the Oval Office and becomes law, the measure will outlaw the manufacture or sale of electronic devices that convert analog video signals into digital video signals, effective one year from its enactment. PC-based tuners and digital video recorders are listed among the devices."

Umm...okay, I may be talking out of my *ss here, but wouldn't that outlaw all VCRs,
DVD players etc? After all, isn't cable originally analogue? That doesn't sound right
to me. Someone more knowledgeable please come in and straighten me out. <ducks>

shplad

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There will have to be a grandfather clause, but as the old hardware dies off then that is absolutely right, it will be illegal to record anything. From what I heard from an interview with the guys at EFF, almost anything that is created is automatically assumed to be under copyright unless they specifically state that it is not.
There will be no more fair use at all. It will be illegal to time shift (skip commercials) which is the main source of their complaint. If this happens I forsee everthything will be like pay-per-record, You pay your cable company for the right to receive the channel and view its content (shows), you will pay again to be able to record it and it will still have all commercial content and no time shifting other than maybe pause. On top of that the content will auto-expire after a certain # of days unless you pay again. This is where we are headed everyone.
It isn't a matterof if but when this crap passes. There are too many politicians now that only see the almighty $ and don't give a rats ass about you and I.
People are always dissing the EFF, but for you and I that work all day and dont have the time to keep calling and writing congressmen they are our only line of defense. They need to be supported and we need to spend the time to call and write our politicians or were done. I always get a stupid form letter back with a bunch of generic words and phrases, but atleast let them know where one person stands.

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Well, I find it hard to believe. Because the one thing politicians are afraid of as
much as losing big business, is getting booted out of office. And I can tell you that
I would start a letter campaign, and also never pay for that kind of entertainment again.
I said pay, of course, not use.

How about we pass legislation that dictates that no politician can copy another politican's
platform, catch-phrases, language or fundraising methods? That would get rid of
most of them, wouldn't it? I fear that this garbage being passed in the U.S. will hit
us in Canada soon enough.


shplad

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KnoppMyth R5C7
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NEC ND-3520A DVD
Seasonic Super Tornado 350
BTC 9019URF Wireless Kbd. w. Joystick

I hope I am wrong, but if you look at what is going on that is what they are pushing for. That is thier idea dream world, if we dont let our voices be heard.

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120 GB Western Digital

There is an EFF action item for this, I encourage everyone to use their political power and write your elected official.

https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?JS ... ion&id=181

IMO this type of legislation is a waste of time. Bottom line is the entertainment industry cannot fight progress. The personal computer is powerful and highly configurable. Hardware and software can be developed to work and extend this power rather easily.
Fact is Media replicators (think Star Trek) are here now, consumers can make perfect replicas with the click of a mouse that are indistinguishable from the original digital copy and distrubute that media to anyone in the world, regardless of social class, goverment control, etc.
This folks is called human progress, it cannot be forgotten or taken back.

It makes me sad when I think Media companies would rather destroy or render useless any information rather than that info be put into the hands of someone of a lower social standing.

What if a food replicator existed? The ability to make food with little energy and mass consumption. Right now the globes' entertainment hunger can be fufilled with little energy and consumption costs. But they choose to fight this progress with DRM, lies, and legislation.

During US prohibition, Alcohol consumption reached it highest levels. What does that tell you? What consumers want they want. I would bet there would be plenty of companies taking the risk to produce tuner cards.

I spoke to some friends "in the know" and they feel strongly that this bill will not come to pass.

Lets all hope so... This is nothing but B$.

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cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!

There is a tiny piece of my that hopes that the greedy b*stards in Hollywood get everything they want in Congress. That they get laws to restrict recording anything and everything. That timeshifting becomes illegal, and using a VCR is punishable by a stretch in jail.

ANYTHING to wake up the masses to what's going on. When Joe Sixpack finds out he can't tape the Simpsons maybe the heads will roll in Congress.

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this wont pass (i shure as hell hope not any way)
and if it does i know im suddenly gona find me trippeling my income as i smuggle capture cards (the non DRM compliant ones) acros the border!

so let this be a warning. perserve your myth box!

It is funny you know reading all of these posts coming from Australia. This legislation has been in place here in Aussie land from day dot, but this has not stopped the sale of tape recorders, VCRs and now DVD Recorders.

In Australia it is illegal to tape a TV show, or copy a CD that you own, even for personal use, we do not have a "Fair Use" policy here.

So this law may pass and it may not, I personally do not believe it will change too much in how and what people use. Let me try and draw a comparision, Sharman Networks (Kazaa) were sued for allowing the redistrubition of copyrighted music and had to change there software. DVD Recorders, VCRs allow the taping of TV shows (which is also illegal) but no law suits have been taken against Panasonic, LG, etc.

A few years back I was hearing rumors of changing the law to forbid same sex marrage. I was giddy when I heard it would require a constitutional ammendment and that the American people would be asked to vote on it in a 2004 ballet. I was certain America would not stand for their government getting involved in our personal life, but I was shocked when the results came in. Overwhelmingly America gave authority to their state to change the constitution for this nonsence. What is next?

Another thing. Over many years, since Carter's sec of Health advocated the use of pot and Reagan's war on drugs crumbled to the social trend to decriminalize pot; I thought I would see legal pot, but just as the states began to change, the war went after cigarettes and smoking in general and now I can not see legal pot ever having a chance again. Even as states legalize medical pot the feds assert their power to dominate US. Canada had a legal pot bill ready to vote on, but Dick Chaney forced it's removal from the vote. Mexico passed legal pot, but the next day repealed it under FED presure.

Everyone must do what they can to wake US up to the deeds of the federal government / big business partnership that is out to enslave the world.

this will be the last straw for me. they're already puching how far they can limit fair use. if something of this nature passes I WILL move to Canada, and if they start something similar then I'll have to get a boat and find a nice island for me and a few cute girls... LOL

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Next they'll be putting cameras into our TVs that record our every move. Then when we get up during a commercial to go to the bathroom, they can issue us a fine for "stealing content" because we are viewing the content without viewing the commercials.

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And by this I'm sure cesman meant "What does this have to do with General discussion about Linux? Yarr, ye be walkin' the plank fer postin' in the wrong forum!!"

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