LIVE: Why Legalizing Ripped DVDs, CDs + Unlocked Phones Could Be Bad
On today’s SiliconANGLE’s Live NewsDesk Show, (see embed feed below or visit youtube.com/siliconangle to watch on-demand), we learn about the Members of Congress finally introducing serious DMCA reform.
Last year the Library of Congress issued new rules which effectively made it illegal for a user to unlock a cell phone to switch to a new carrier. In an outcry, an online petition on the issue attracted more than 100,000 signatures and prompted a statement by the White House criticizing the new rule. The new legislation is sponsored by Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). First and foremost, it explicitly legalizes cell phone unlocking. The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013 modifies the DMCA to make the language crystal clear that unlocking copy-protected content is only illegal if it’s done in order to “facilitate the infringement of a copyright.” It would not be a violation of copyright if a circumvention technology is “primarily designed or produced for the purpose of facilitating noninfringing uses.”
Joining us now to tell us more about the DMCA reform is SiliconANGLE Contributing Editor John Casaretto. (See the live broadcast, embed below ~ if you missed today’s topic, check our YouTube channel for archived clips.)
Some of the things we’ll be discussing with Casaretto include, key differentiating factors in the bill, other DMCA modifications in the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, potential benefits to everyday American’s, and what potential disadvantages exist in the new bill.
Image credit: digital trends
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