Programmers-Reason for concern?

[Wyckyd1]

Don't know if ya'll saw this but found very interesting.

Here are a few excerpts from the article:

A bill introduced this week by Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-South Carolina) would roil the electronics industry by forcibly embedding copy protection into all digital devices, from MP3 players to cell phones, fax machines, digital cameras and personal computers.

But the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (CBDTPA) would also wreak havoc on programmers and software companies -- both those distributing code for free and those selling it

According to the CBDTPA, any software with the ability to reproduce "copyrighted works" may not be sold in the United States after the Federal Communications Commission's regulations take effect. Even programmers who distribute their code for free would be prohibited from releasing newer versions -- unless the application included federally approved technology.

Violators face civil and criminal penalties.

<a href="http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,51274,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,51274,00.html</a>

[korpse]

I remember they were talking about doing that with hard drives a while back. Nothing ever came of it since it is pretty impossible...

[Radical Dreamer]

I think that it is total bull$h!7! They need to quit b!tching about the piracy crap! Yeah, its bad, but this is just going a little bit too far.

[TrackMan]

You can pirate books in DOC format over the gnutella network and open then in MS Word, don't ask how I know So, Word can be used to view, copy, print a copyrighted work? Microsoft can't release it any more! The software you use to connect to the internet can be used to share copyrighted works, off with it! Depending on how loose this bill is, anything can be illegal.

[Radical Dreamer]

[quote]Originally posted by TrackMan:
<strong>You can pirate books in DOC format over the gnutella network and open then in MS Word, don't ask how I know So, Word can be used to view, copy, print a copyrighted work? Microsoft can't release it any more! The software you use to connect to the internet can be used to share copyrighted works, off with it! Depending on how loose this bill is, anything can be illegal.</strong><hr></blockquote>

No matter how you look at it, the law will be stupid, but thats not to say that it will not get passed. I think that we need to do something about it before its too late.