May 6, 2003

Digital Freedom UPDATE

NPR has covered the controversy over "super-DMCA" legislation that the Motion Picture Association of America and the cable industry is ramming through state legislatures coast to coast, including here in Tennessee. The brief story - the audio is available by clicking a link at the top of the NPR web page I linked to - gives a good explanation of how this horrible legislation is managing to move through the legislative process. Basically it is because legislators don't know what they are doing, and are being led around by the MPAA. That's true here in Tennessee, where Rep. Rob Briley is pushing legislation he doesn't fully understand. While Briley has been open to changes in the law based on suggestions from opponents of the legislation, I sat through a meeting Briley hosted today down at the legislature and it was fairly obvious Briley leans toward accepting at face value the pronouncements of the cable industry lobbyist. Incidentally, Briley says he has never spoken with the MPAA, although his legislation was largely a verbatim copy of the same MPAA legislation introduced in several states. Perhaps he got it from the cable industry lobbyist.

For more on the controversy, go here and follow the links. Also be sure to check Copyfight regularly for updates.