Friday, July 06, 2007
Fight for your reverse-engineering rights
Nothing gets me more upset than the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, except maybe National Catholic Reporter.
Even the debate pitting creationism against evolution never raises the argument that the galaxy is a secret that ought not be explored. Both sides cite science that looks at our galaxy’s present, weigh recorded history against empirical data, and hypothesize about our origins.
So how is it that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) -- an odious piece of lobbyist-written legislation if there ever was one -- can make a crime of reverse engineering? The DMCA circumvents laws governing copyright, patent, property, and free speech by declaring unlawful the most essential right of all: The right to know.
Labels: politics, technology
