I previously wrote about the absurd Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) infringement lawsuit against John Stottlemire. Unfortunately for Stottlmire, the Coupons.com suit continues.
However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at UC Berkeley have filed friend-of-court briefs on his behalf that argue in part that the DMCA does not apply to Stottlmire’s activities and that he is protected by the First Amendment. You can read more about it in David Kravets’ excellent post at Wired.com, “EFF and U.C. Berkeley Defend Accused Coupon Hacker in DMCA Suit.”
To recap, the DMCA is a bad law that was passed by Congress thanks to large campaign contributions (bribes?) by the Hollywood entertainment industry. Stottlemire is just the latest victim.
As noted by the photo of a court jester above, I wish this was an April Fool’s Day joke. Unfortunately, it isn’t.
Congress is already talking about passing another law (the Pro-IP Act) that’s even more absurd than the DMCA. Tell your local Representative and two Senators that you oppose it and want the DMCA repealed. After all, this time it is Stottlemire. The next time it could be you that’s facing a team of lawyers in court funded by RIAA or the MPAA.
What do you think of the DMCA? Should it be repealed? Or should the Pro-IP Act become law too?
