[NTLUG:Discuss] Urgent alert: Come testify against the Super DMCA! Seante hearing 1PM may 6.

[Mike]

On Saturday 10 May 2003 06:06 pm, jeremy wrote:
> Paul,
>   can you elaborate on what this means?
Go Read the bill, it's really scary. This turns the internet 
from a free entity (Citizens Band) to a commercially owned 
enterprise (the gods at the hub deal out whatever they 
want, and don't expect any of it to be free.) It means that 
unless your ISP gives you permission, you can't do it. (And 
they have to get permission from the service providers, 
etc...) The scary part is that this law makes it criminal 
to violate the bill. 

This bill basically turns the internet upside down.  Before 
this bill is a law, everything coming into your house on 
the internet is legal until proven otherwise. (And there 
are very few laws that affect inbound content here, only 
pornography laws have been demonstrated effective.)   After 
this law, nothing is legal unless your ISP writes it into 
the contract, and you and the ISP are liable for any 
unauthorized use. That is, any activity that isn't clearly 
covered by a contract somewhere becomes a criminal act 
(meaning the cops come take your stuff and threaten you 
with jail time and/or hefty fines) instead of 
default-of-contract (meaning the ISP and other infringed 
parties can cut your line and sue you in civil court for 
the money they can prove you cost them.)

In real terms, we'll all be criminals immediately:

1. Using the Internet to let windows phone home is illegal 
unless specifically stated in your ISP's agreement, but 
likely to get ignored.  (But remember, a single criminal  
act can lead to seizure of property within the statute of 
limitations 3 or 5 years.) 

2. Using an MP3 copying system is illegal,  and likely to 
get you visited by your local law enforcement guys, serving 
papers drummed up by the RIAA spys legally monitoring your 
ISP's T1 line.  The cops will leave you the papers, and 
take with them anything smarter than a toaster in your 
house, along with all music playing devices (and maybe all 
recorded media ) as part of the legal search and seizure 
that your illegal activity allows. 

3. Using ICQ is illegal unless stated in your isp's 
agreement, but again, likely to get ignored (for now, until 
someone figures out how to make it a pay service... or the 
phone company declares ICQ competition and starts 
monitoring the internet for its use.)