fair use (idea)

The Register (http://www.theregister.co.uk/) has an article ("Linux users protest DVD regs on Capitol Hill", http://www.theregister.co.uk/000505-000015.html) on this subject, which raises a number of points.

It points to two parts of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (I quote their article):

• the DMCA states quite explicitly that, "Nothing in this section shall affect rights, remedies, limitations, or defences to copyright infringement, including fair use
• the Act contradicts itself, stating that, "No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title," and so making it illegal for the legitimate purchaser of a DVD to copy the content they have paid for in a format not licensed by the industry

The killer point in the article, however, is this:

This obstacle not only allows Hollywood to restrict access to the material it distributes; it also means that the MPAA can influence the very range of content available to consumers. The DMCA gives the movie industry power to control film distribution, which it is free to abuse secure under the aegis of a law purporting to protect its copyrights.

The remainder of the article makes some other interesting points - but the above are about Free Speech. Surely this is enough to get US Citizens off their collective backside?