EFF: Prelude to a Fake Complaint

This is just so silly. Proof of the pudding that some people are possibly either don't know (or don't want to know) what computers are capable of, or don't know and are willing to be 'persuaded'* to facilitate the desires on a small group in preference to the needs of many more who would want access to the ideas/material that is being secured.

The current AUSFTA is another case of small numbers of big power brokers are bullying larger numbers of small powers into submission. My particular objection is the copyright provisions which are already 'life plus 50' here in Australia, but with the FTA with the US would see it pushed out to "life plus 70". I have real problems with that. It not only prevents people from getting hold of material that is no longer, and never likely to be again, in print merely because its creator hasn't been dead 70 years yet, meanwhile creating a pittance of income for the creators great-great-grandchildren.

That's almost like saying that the great-great-grandniece of Jane Austin gets the copyright payments for Pride and Prejudice! Ridiculous!

There are many good points about Digital Rights Management, most of them bound up with confidentiality and security for business reasons, but to create laws that people are going to violate because the law is an ass, is no way to improve the standing of the Law, the Parliament or those poor unfortunates who end up having to enforce such silliness.

To top it all off, I believe that legislation like this does nothing to actually promote or reward creativity, as was the original idea behind the concept of copyright.

Perhaps it all comes down to education and a complete rethink of what copyright and other forms of Intellectual Property really are. Especially with consideration of how technology is changing the way in which we can access all sorts of things.

This is one of those things that I need to know about, need to know how to implement for the right sort of reasons, and have some cleverer person explain it to me in simple terms without pushing a particular barrow for one side of the argument or the other.

I think my brain is about to spasm *sigh*

* any other terms might be considered rude ...