FC: State "mini-DMCA" bills raise alarums

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://news.com.com/2100-1028-994667.html

   DMCA critics decry state-level proposals
   By Declan McCullagh

   March 28, 2003, 7:37 PM PT
   WASHINGTON--Critics of the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act
   said Friday that they were disturbed by proposals for similar laws at
   the state level.

   Quietly, opponents said, with few people paying close attention, state
   legislators are considering bills that would be even broader than the
   controversial DMCA, which restricts bypassing copy-protection
   measures.

   The DMCA critics reacted with dismay this week after learning about
   the existence of the state bills when a lobbyist flagged one as
   disturbing, an industry source said. On Friday, library groups quickly
   dashed off a note to Arkansas and Colorado warning politicians there
   that their "proposed legislation is deeply flawed and should be
   rejected."

   [...]

   The group primarily responsible for the state bills is the Motion
   Picture Association of America, one of the most vocal supporters of
   the federal DMCA. The MPAA rejects the characterization of the state
   legislation as similar to the federal law, saying the state measures
   update cable and satellite protection laws to catch up with today's
   hacking technologies.

   [...]

Also see Ed Felten's writeups at:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/




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