Re: [dvd-discuss] The Consumer Technology Bill of Rights

["Michael A Rolenz" <Michael.A.Rolenz(at)aero.org>]

In some ways the consumer bill of rights can be summarized as following 

Any copy that you legally acquires becomes your personal property and you 
may do with it as you wish as long as you do not sell or make available to 
the public duplicate copies without approval of the copyright holder. C

Copyright holders may put no restrictions on the usage.
==================
ANd that includes DeCSS. If someone uses DeCSS on their own DVDs that 
legal. Use it as part of commercial piracy, and the piracy is illegal. 




"Dean Sanchez" <DSanchez@fcci-group.com>
Sent by: owner-dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
03/18/02 06:18 AM
Please respond to dvd-discuss

 
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        Subject:        [dvd-discuss] The Consumer Technology Bill of Rights


Bob Thompson's site, http://www.ttgnet.com/rbt/rbtdaynotes.html , has a link to a site, http://www.digitalconsumer.org , that is promoting a 'Bill of Rights' for consumers. 

I know nothing about the site aside from what I've read on the it. 
However, I think that the premise behind it has merit, but I would like to 
see something similar to the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of the 
Constitution added to it.  Maybe something along the lines of "Enumeration 
in this Bill of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage 
others retained by the user.  The Rights not specifically delegated to the 
Copyright Holder are reserved to the user."  And maybe replace 'user' with 
'People' to reflect the fact that we hold these rights as citizens not 
just consumers.,

I know that we had discussed in the past the problems related to 
enumerating the rights conferred through 'fair use' and 'first sale'. 
Primarily, the fact that the process of sayings 'these are the right' 
would eliminate any right to new uses.  However, I think that we have 
reached a point where, because no rights have be enumerated, the 
traditional  'fair use' and 'first sale' rights have eroded to such an 
extent that we no longer have them anyway.  As for adding any new ones, 
that possibility no longer exists.