Re: [dvd-discuss] Stores claim pricelists covered by DMCA

["Glendon M. Gross" <gross(at)xinetd.com>]

To my mind this illustrates the pitfalls of a bad law like the DMCA. 
When wrongly interpreted, the very language of the law can make it a 
vehicle for the hijacking of the Internet for commercial purposes. 
Slowly, quietly, we are all losing our freedom of expression and our 
free speech rights that should be guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

When I first became involved in the Internet in 1994, I felt that the 
strongest aspect of the medium was the way that the "little guy" could 
compete on a level playing field with the big corporations.  Yet as the 
Internet becomes progressively dominated by large corporations, I 
believe we are actually witnessing its demise.  As websites are 
prosecuted for so-called criminal violations based on content, we are 
seeing the very foundations of the Internet come under attack.  At one 
time I used to be convinced that truth and justice would always prevail 
on the Internet, but after the abuse of the DMCA by large corporations, 
it's becoming "The best Internet money can buy."

To my mind this is unfortunate.  If users can't freely share information 
on the 'net, they will lose interest in it.  No matter how much 
retailers would like to believe that the Internet is merely a large 
shopping mall, it is (or should be) much more than that.  But who is to 
stop large corporations from abusing our free speech rights if nobody 
stands up to them in the courts?  And as long as corporations can afford 
to bid for the best legal counsel, it is likely to be a challenge for 
groups like the EFF to resist them.

Just my 2 cents.

Regards,

Glendon Gross


Jeremy Erwin wrote:
> Various internet site such as fatwallet.com have posted early copies of 
> post thanksgiving price lists on their websites. The stores affected, 
> such as Target, WalMart, and Staples have demanded removal, under the 
> DMCA safe harbor provisions.
> 
> http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,107229,00.asp
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28223.html
> 
> Jeremy
> 
>