DMCA -- Blocking Kung Fu Online?

U.S. laws on importing and distributing foreign films are anything but clear, according to a story from WiredNews (12/17/03).  Bringing a foreign film across the border in one's suitcase is legal, but linking to the website of a US company selling imported DVDs might not be.  Or at least that's Miramax's claim in a cease-and-desist letter about a Seattle-based company, Kung Fu Cinema.  Confused?

The article enlists Professor Jonathan Zittrain and former Berkman affiliate Jeff Cunard to explain.  According to Zittrain, "The rules of copyright were honed and developed in an era when the only people who had to pay attention to this were larger firms that had ready access to lawyers.  The Internet has changed this."  Read more about the story -- Film Fans Befuddled by Copyright.