File-sharing, Digital Rights Management, Etc.

Politech has a couple of good articles on political developments in the post-Napster world. (That's almost a Katz phrase there, isn't it?) The folks behind Kazaa, when they're not busy spying on their userbase, took the time to write to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after a bashing they took a few weeks ago. Kazaa's new owners suggest a general royalty fee, perhaps similar to the recent webcasting fees, be put in place to compensate intellectual property holders for file-sharing. Meanwhile, the European Commission takes a look at digital rights management. Looks like Europe will get its own version of the SSSCA.

Are there any free nations left?

[Snafoo]

Goddammit! If Europe gets the SSSCA, my plans to become an irresistably chic Espresso-sipping Parisian nouveau hacker are dashed.

Looks like I'm moving to Sealand. They better have a whole lotta instant, that's all I can say.....

Re:Screw 'em with patents

[thesupraman]

Unfortunately (well, fortunately ;) noone seems too worried about making a reliable (or even working) DRM system , after all they don't need too thanks to the DMCA, just XOR the data with 'give us all your money' and call it DRM, then you have the legal power to do just about anything to your victims (sorry, I'm sure I means consumers there).