Just came across a consumer electronics trade pub noting that Macrovision
(they copy protect videotapes) had finished beta testing their encryption
scheme that would prevent you from copying an audio CD. next step is
selling it to record labels. If this happens on a large scale I'm going to
stop buying CDs. I've copied things for personal use but never sold them
or given them awawy! (I'm not even a Napster user.) I'd like for things
like home CD burners to not be useless and for songs to be digitizable
into portable MP3 players (digitized from one's own discs not somebody
elses.) thing is - THERE USED TO BE SUCH A THING AS FAIR USE. Making
personal copies wasn't illegal, only trying to sell them. Now with digital
tehcnology they problem they have is the copies are too good. If you run
off pirate tapes from your VCR or tape deck the quality degrades so
anybody would know a bootleg. Digital copies are perfect and easily
replicated over and over with no way to show whether it's the original.
So: has technology truly killed the fair use doctrine?
Well, I blame drops in CD sales on shitty music and overpriced discs (some
up to $18.99!) and if you can't copy somethaing at all, that reduces its
value to you so it is even more of a rip off. I'd like to start a boycott
of encrypted discs once they hit the stores. Well that might be
practically everything. As I said I never HAVE used Napster. But i truly
hate the RIAA, they are nothing but a power elite.
Kristin
