Ben.geek.nz - Latest Comments in New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

naisioxerloro — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:29:22 -0000

Hi.
Good design, who make it?

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

trasporti — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:20:56 -0000

Luogo molto buon:) Buona fortuna!

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Mark Harris — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 14:46:53 -0000

And I forgot to link to it: http://www.knowledge-basket.co.nz/gpprint/docs/...

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Mark Harris — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 14:46:17 -0000

Before sounding off to the politicians, it might be better to read the thing first. In my view, there are serious flaws in it, but uninformed comment will be disregarded, even if it makes good points.

As Jordan said above, this is a draft bill - there's time for it to be amended. But automatic "DRM=BAD" messages will have little impact. Informed commentary and suggestions for improvement will be much more likely to have influence.

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 13:59:17 -0000

New Zealand's own DRM policy (E-government website) says this:

"Digital rights management and similar technologies will prevent users from doing things they might consider reasonable (it would be unnecessary otherwise). If this is imposed without reference to users, or is abused by copyright owners or software vendors, a backlash may result."

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Jordan Carter — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 17:19:10 -0000

One point: this is a draft Bill. It will go to Select Committee, and be open for public submissions.

As well as writing to the Minister, you should send your letters to the relevant Select Committee as submissions.

You can ask to be heard, and make a presentation orally about what is wrong with the draft and what needs to change.

InternetNZ (where I work) shares these concerns. We're working on a legal review of the bill now, and will be making a submission on it next year.

Jordan

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Rob Birnie — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 17:02:10 -0000

Damn, I wish I'd found this letter earlier. I've already started a petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/NZCPYWRT/petition... so please go and sign it and spread the word! We want to stop this thing dead right now!

rob.

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Tim Harding — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 06:11:07 -0000

Judith Tizard is in an odd position, she's the Minister for libraries and trying to unlock NZ's digital heritage and future http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?Do... and she's the Minister for Consumer Affairs and yet she's got this massive conflict as she tries to lock up our heritage and culture and uphold anti-competitive practices and restrict consumer choice with DRM in her other role. This is really twisted :D

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Ben — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:27:26 -0000

Very well put Ryan, and as I just added to the post, we're not talking about just music or video or documents. We're talking about any 'information' that can conceivably be covered by any form of 'rights management'.

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Ryan — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 23:35:15 -0000

As the world, not just New Zealand and America shift to a truly digital platform, where people no longer care if they buy a CD, or a DVD, or a HD DVD, or a BluRay Disc, or a MiniDisc, or a Vinyl Record, or a Cassette Tape but care that they own the right to said media for the rest of their lives.

As well as the ability to give or sell that right to anybody else they wish. Just like you can sell a store bought CD to anyone else.

I'm going to write a letter soon, which will take it from the angle of document formats. The european union, and the usa have gotten together and commissioned a standardised document format, which is open (as in the specification), and is called the Open Document Format, or ODF. This format was created because government agencies realised that microsoft office documents from 1997 will eventually not be able to be read, as the format is proprietary. Which means that the specification on how it works is not published.

This is very similar to DRM in the fact that, it's a proprietary system, with one much larger problem, in that it's illegal to learn how it works, and allow people to publish that information / make a tool to do it for them.

I feel very strongly about this, as I'm an engineer with a passion for understanding how things work, and then using that information to try and better society. If it's illegal for me to learn how a system works, and publish information on the possible ways around it, then I may have to look at moving to another country.

Ryan

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Ben — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:12:09 -0000

Well for one thing, our current copyright law specifically bans format shifting. It is currently illegal to rip files from CD and put them on your MP3 player.

Hence my incredulity that they are barely even fixing that. I mean a 2 year sunset on that clause? WTF? I'm guessing there's not a 2 year sunset on the anti-circumvention stuff.

Yet again it's "We (the record companies) know what's best for you (the consumers), so just leave it all to us OK? We'll look after the content. Trust us."

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Stu — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:58:37 -0000

What the heck is so wrong with our current Copyright laws btw?

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Stu — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:47:27 -0000

Done. Seriously man, make this an online form we can click on. A mailto: url would suffice surely?

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Stu — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:44:31 -0000

BEN BEN BEN Make your letter a form man! Heck with it, I'm sending a copy now with the relevant bits changed.

Re: New Zealand to get the DMCA?

Stu — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:43:18 -0000

Good god. Is there an online form letter I can sign and send? I have neither the time nor will to draft such a thing myself, but by god I'll put my name to it!