On Saturday, February 16, 2002, at 12:40  PM, Jei wrote:

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:16:13 -0500
> From: Seth Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 09:38:42 -0500
>> To: David Farber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> From: Mike Godwin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>
>>
>> Dave, it's interesting that at the same time some in
>> the government argue that U.S. constitutional projections
>> don't apply to the prisoners held at Guantanamo, other
>> government officials are insisting that the DMCA applies
>> universally.
>>
>> --Mike

Note the two versions of this same line of thinking:

> SAN JOSE -- The Digital Millennium Copyright Act properly
> applies to activity outside the U.S., federal prosecutors
> said in their case against a Russian company charged with
> selling software decrypting Adobe e-Books.  "A construction
> of the DMCA that applied it only within the borders of the
> United States would thwart Congress's intent to prevent
> circumvention technology from being available," the San Jose
> U.S. Attorney's Office told U.S. Dist. Judge Ronald Whyte in
> papers filed late last week.  "The ease with which materials
> can be moved around the Internet makes it impossible to
> conceive of an effective DMCA statute that applied solely
> within the United States."  That construction was Congress's
> intent, as shown by its prohibition against importation of
> certain technology, prosecutors argued.
>
> Prosecutors said the judge didn't need to decide that issue,
> however, because Elcomsoft was subject to prosecution for
> conduct within the U.S.  The company offered its program
...
--excerpt from a possible world--

"TEHERAN -- The Protection of the Righteous Act properly applies to 
activity outside the Muslim world, religious prosecutors said in their 
case against an American company charged with selling books insulting to 
the Prophet.  "A construction of the PRA that applied it only within the 
borders of the Muslim nations would thwart the faithful's intent to 
prevent circumvention technology from being available," the Teheran 
Religious Magistrate  told President Rafsanani in papers filed late last 
week.  "The ease with which materials can be moved around the Internet 
makes it impossible to conceive of an effective PRA statute that applied 
solely within Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other Muslim states."  That 
construction was the faithful's intent, as shown by its prohibition 
against importation of certain technology, prosecutors argued.

"The PRA authorizes us to arrest, and if necessary, kidnap, those in 
violation of the PRA anywhere in the world," Ayotollah Raghedi said. "It 
is no different from what the Great Satan has been doing for many 
years," he added.

--end excerpt--

If the U.S. can claim the entire world must obey its laws, so can Saudi 
Arabia, or Peru, or Bratislavistan.

No wonder they hate us so much.


--Tim May

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