Timothy Musson wrote:
I didn't know about this until very recently. I knew the government was considering adding "fair use" provisions to copyright law, but I didn't realise NZ was about to enact a DMCA equivalent.
Y'know... For "fair use" to exist (and it must -- and the government seems to agree), it follows that tools that can circumvent copy protection must be legally and easily available to anyone. But if they are, then copy protection systems are completely and utterly useless and pointless.
<devils advocate> I don't think it is as bad as you think it is:
Proposal 29 allows circumvention devices/information where the purpose of the circumvention is to enable a user to exercise a "permitted act", or to view a legitimate non-infringing copy of a work. They give the example of DVD players that disregard regional zone codings. That is OK. As would be DVD players on Linux.
Proposal 30 allows for error correction in computer programs, interoperability of software, and encryption research. Linux is software. To circumvent "technological protection measures" on some information (e.g. software) for it to interoperate with Linux looks OK. (i.e. It's a permitted act)
Also, read this from Proposal 36:
36 In considering any possible changes to the permitted acts, it is important to recall that the balance between protection and incentives for copyright owners and access for users was very thoroughly considered when the Act was drafted. It is not the intention of this review to change that balance, but to ensure that the balance continues in the digital environment.
I felt better after reading that.
Also,
Proposal 47a allows for format shifting (ripping music to ogg or mp3), but only for music.
47b allows us to decompile software for interoperability, and makes void any claim that decompiling is prohibited.
47c Lets us fix bugs in software we own.
Cheers, Carl.
