Originally posted by CP5670
Well, the software hackers have repeatedly proven that their efforts are far superior to those of corporations; they could quite easily extend their efforts to hardware as well, and I bet there would be guides and walkthrough all over the internet on how to remove the protection a few hours after the first products with the stuff are released. Although it is significantly harder to modify hardware than software, it still can be done if precise instruments are used and the expertise is there. It would be hard for an average consumer to do, but these things are done by people with experience and are readily available on black markets. (heck, you can already find modified hardware through these places)
And, if all else fails, we would still have the older hardware without any of this in it. The sales of the new products would be much lower than those of the old ones since some of the people would refuse to buy anything with the copy protection when they already own items without it, and modified versions of the new items are sold cheap through illegal channels. At some point, corporations will be doing so poorly that some will just outright refuse to obey the law, and release their products without the copyirght stuff anyway. The government could stamp down a few companies, but a "domino effect" would incite others to ignore the law as well. It would essentially be a repeat of the drug-ban law and would fall to pieces soon.
You're missing the point. You can ignore the law all you want. When your TV doesn't work with the new cable system or you can't copy play a CDR in your car CD player, or you can't connect to the internet because your provider has switched to the new modem standard mandated by law and you haven't, you'll be locked out. You'll have to 'upgrade' to compliant hardware or do without. You, however, are not important.
My mother, like most people's mothers, and my father, like most people's fathers, will just accept it. Joe Average consumer in this country does not care. Consider the 'copy protected CDs' that have been released. Where is the public outcry? Where is the consumer complaint? Strictly limited to the fringes: geeks and audiophiles. Not Joe Average consumer.
Even better, Joe Average consumer will be behind laws like this. Why? Because
DISNEY will tell them that it is a good law. What good family-oriented consumer doesn't think that Disney can do any wrong? Everyone, especially parents LOVES Disney. Everyone, especially parents, TRUSTS Disney. Many of these consumers just won't care because, after all, they don't copy mp3s or dupe CDs or worry about duping a rented DVD to a video tape. Other consumers will get behind this and cheer it on because "only criminals would want to prevent something like this! We must protect the artists!" (despite the fact that laws like this do not protect the artists in any way, only the distribution corporations).
It gets better STILL. Mr. Vega contends that such a bill could not get past the Democratically controlled Senate. Perhaps he did not look carefully: CDTBBA is a
Democrat sponsored bill. It promotes and protects corporations. Republicans are historically pro-BigBusiness. Who is left to disagree? The Libertarians? Sorry, there's not enough left over to prevent a simple majority.
The meat of the issue is not this bill but this bill combined with the DMCA. With the two combined
running Linux is a felony. Not a civil offense, but a criminal one. Modifying a system to allow content duplication is a felony. Buying or selling modified systems is a felony.
To recap:
- Most consumers will not care
- The rules are made by the people who have to abide by it
- Circumventing the rules is a criminal offense
- Only the fringe cares
Sorry. There is no way--no way at all--that you can convince me that this should be ignored or that it won't be enforceable. This is not the drug war. This is almost the opposite. This is almost as if the drug laws were being made by the Columbian drug lords.
Like I said, the inmates will be running the asylum.
We must do something about this before hand, before it passes to prevent it from passing.
