http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c827 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:23:59 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c827 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c94 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:22:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c94 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c804 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:22:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c804 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c87 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:21:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c87 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c786 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:20:59 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c786 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c763 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:20:49 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c763 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c72 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:20:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c72
Epic face palm there.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c657 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:20:10 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c657 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c683 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:19:12 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c683 > in the interview if at the end of the interview
> they took your recording device as "evidence"

Then use a recorder that streams to the cloud.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c60 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:18:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c60
Water balloons are utterly harmless and water balloon fights are merely a way to pass the time and cool down on a hot summer's day. I honestly don't see why anyone would have a problem with it.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c749 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:18:04 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c749 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c787 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:17:42 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c787
(To clarify my suspicion:

1. I never heard anyone BUT John Steele thinking that I == Erin.
2. The language, especially by "Nora below").]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c748 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:16:19 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c748 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c1844 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:15:42 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c1844 this proposal would indeed weaken the copyright rights, defined broadly as including the anticircumvention rights under 1201, of copyright holders. ... exclusive rights under Section 106 ... this proposal would weaken those rights as well because making it legal to traffic in technologies that can be used to circumvent access controls would make it easier to infringe...

This is a load of bunk, and you know it. Breaking DRM doesn't imply infringement since DRM circumvention tools can be used for legitimate purpose (i.e. accessing the legally purchased content). Therefore prohibiting distributing and using them altogether is like prohibiting selling and using knives, since they can be used for crime as well as for legal purposes. This, paired with the fact that DRM itself doesn't protect copyrights (as we discussed above) and thus weakening DRM doesn't affect infringement makes it completely reasonable to repeal DMCA 1201.

In general, it's a moronic idea to use legal methods (DMCA) to prevent a deficient technology (DRM) from being broken, since it that can't protect what it's intended to protect.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c733 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:15:40 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c733 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/00493523143/ridiculous-timing-obama-administration-responds-to-spying-ap-pushing-journalist-shield-law-that-wouldnt-matter.shtml#c379 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:15:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/00493523143/ridiculous-timing-obama-administration-responds-to-spying-ap-pushing-journalist-shield-law-that-wouldnt-matter.shtml#c379 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c650 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:14:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c650
Just try to keep the warhead level down.

And remember, if it gets one inch out of your yard, your neighbour might deploy his Super-Targetted Anti-Random Whack-A-Robot System.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/15581423160/prenda-gets-some-tiny-bit-good-news-as-it-may-get-out-two-critical-cases.shtml#c283 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:14:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/15581423160/prenda-gets-some-tiny-bit-good-news-as-it-may-get-out-two-critical-cases.shtml#c283 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c1841 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:14:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c1841 > to begin with,

No, I'm asking *you* why *you* believe a phone service provider should have a legal cause of action against me merely for making full use of my own property.

If doing so violates my contract with them, then they have remedies under contract law. They don't need the DMCA. Why does there need to be this additional draconian statute with criminal penalties out there that really does nothing but prevent people from doing legal things with their own property. The underlying actions are legal but this idiotic law makes the mere act of exercising one's rights a crime.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c709 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:12:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/16402423161/first-hand-account-judicial-smackdown-prenda-minnesota.shtml#c709