John Carter, 2006-06-08 14:02:22: > I have just met Kate Wilkinson, the National Party Member of > Parliament.
> I would like to send her a bunch of links, that are digestible to a > Lawyer, on why [software patents, DRM, DMCA, etc.] are very very Bad > for New Zealanders. > Any one got some good links? "Software's game of mutually assured damage" http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/30/1091080437270.html Software patents: "Weapons of Business Destruction" http://www.slate.com/id/2135559/ "Software groups warn of FTA dangers" http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/06/1091732077487.html "Guardian: Patent absurdity" http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/comment/story/0,12449,1510566,00.html "Everyone Wants to 'Own' Your PC" http://www.wired.com/news/columns/1,70802-0.html "Protecting ourselves to death: Canada, copyright, and the Internet" http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_10/murray/index.html "DRM and the Death of Culture" http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060128181323201 "MSFT: Our DRM licensing is there to eliminate hobbyists and little guys" http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/30/msft_our_drm_licensi.html "iTunes questionable terms and conditions" http://forbrukerportalen.no/Artikler/2006/1138119849.71 "Intellectual property rights and the Australia—US Free Trade Agreement" http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/rp/2003-04/04rp14.htm "The Economic and Cultural Impacts of the Free Trade Agreement Provisions relating to Copyright and Patent Law" http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/FTA17.html "A natural experiment" http://news.ft.com/cms/s/4cd4941e-3cab-11d9-bb7b-00000e2511c8.html "Canadian music creators coalition" http://www.musiccreators.ca/ By the way, I sent an email to med.govt.nz in April to ask when the changes to NZ's Copyright law are expected to come into effect. Here's the reply I got: > Subject: RE: Amendments to the Copyright Act 1994 > From: Silke Radde <Silke.Radde at med govt nz> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:00:26 +1200 > The Copyright (New Technologies and Performers' Rights) Amendment Bill > (taking into account digital technology) is ready to be introduced to > Parliament. At this stage, we cannot predict an introduction date, > however, introduction is expect sometime this year (hopefully before > July). It would then go Select Committee. They would have 6 months > maximum to receive recommendations on amendments to the Bill from > stakeholders before reporting back to the House. This means that it is > unlikely for the Bill to pass before the end of this year. > You can follow the progress on the Bill on our website at > http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/ContentTopicSummary____1103.aspx Tim -- Timothy Musson member.fsf.org
