back to article In latest DMCA review, US Copyright Office eases rules on computer security research, right to repair

In its latest interpretation of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the US Copyright Office has relaxed the legal restrictions that deter security researchers and enthusiasts from analyzing and tinkering with protected content on digital devices. At the same time, the revised rules allow for only limited game console …

  1. aldolo

    how many exceptions

    maybe the initial rule is broken

    1. Joe W Silver badge

      Re: how many exceptions

      You forget about the ineffability of the lawmakers... ;-)

      And this law has been really a weird one from my point of view. Adding the phantastic names the Yanks seem to attach to all of those only make them even weirder ;-p

      But you are right, of course, and that is a very sensible suggestion. There's not much hope that "sensible" is any major driving factor at the moment, especially not for these things. (actually since they are constantly expanding the exceptions, people might actually have some sense).

    2. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: how many exceptions

      Yeah, the next "exception" ought to be GETTING RID OF DMCA and just using the prior copyright law to go after infringers who aren't merely engaging in "fair use".

      But THAT would make TOO MUCH COMMON SENSE. *INSTEAD* we end up with BUREAUCRATS making this and that dictate in order to justify their own existence and intrusion into our lives.

      (see icon)

      1. J. Cook Silver badge
        Pirate

        Re: how many exceptions

        THIS. the DCMA was pushed through mostly by the Recording Industry Ass. of America, and the Movie Industry Ass. of America, because ZOMG pirates are costing us all this (imagined) money that we can spend on hookers and blow.

    3. SImon Hobson Silver badge

      Re: how many exceptions

      Yes, the rule is broken - but it's the one the film (i.e. "content industry") bought and paid for. And that same, very well funded, industry (and others) will fight very hard against any watering down of it.

  2. Joe W Silver badge

    Groundhog day?

    from the article: "the [..] equivalent of Groundhog Day – a film in which the protagonist lives one day over and over"

    Yeah, that's totally not popular culture, and noone has seen that movie at least twice. Aaand it is totally not the first comparison that would come to mind.

    [Wiens said]: "we’re going to be stuck on this Ferris wheel with the Copyright Office every three years"

    Alright - they haven't seen it. So people who have are now officially "old people", right?

    F***.

    1. Graham Cobb

      Re: Groundhog day?

      Naah. Old people like me have never seen it.

      Or was that the one with David Niven fighting on the beaches of some pacific island while Deborah Kerr tried to find a way to join him in his struggle? Those war films all get mixed up now...

    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Groundhog day?

      "[Wiens said]: "we’re going to be stuck on this Ferris wheel with the Copyright Office every three years"

      Alright - they haven't seen it. So people who have are now officially "old people", right?"

      He may have been referring to Bueller to put a different slant on it while still retaining the "pop culture" reference.

  3. Blackjack Silver badge

    "the latest exemptions allow only limited game console repair – fixing the optical drive."

    Hey Sony about that PS5 thing? Now you can get sued.

    1. mark l 2 Silver badge

      No doubt to stop you from going inside the console to fix the optical drive the next batch of PS and Xbox consoles will come without an internal optical drive and it will be an optional external add on if you want one.

      After all most games need to download gigabytes of updates before you can play them even with the discs and people have got more used to going without physical media for movies, music and other none game software.

      1. J. Cook Silver badge
        Childcatcher

        Well, considering that Sony has been going after third party companies who are making "unauthorized" vanity skins for the PS5, they have even less sympathy from me than before...

        (This is the same Sony that put rootkits on audio CDs, directly gave us CSS and the shenanigans for the Blur-ray CES, and a whole host of other anti-consumer behaviors.)

  4. Clausewitz 4.0
    Devil

    DMCA TLDR;

    Luckly DMCA is a US-specific legislation, and USA does not have jurisdiction or power over other countries to enforce it.

    Old but gold:

    --

    Lawyers:

    Finally, notwithstanding our use of the required notice form, we believe that https://thepiratebay.org ‘s activities and services fall outside the scope of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). Our use of this form, as required by law, is meant to facilitate https://thepiratebay.org ‘s removal of the infringing product listed above and is not meant to suggest or imply that https://thepiratebay.org ‘s activities and services are within the scope of the DMCA.

    --

    TPB:

    We are well aware of the fact that The Pirate Bay falls outside the scope of the DMCA – after all, the DMCA is a US-specific legislation, and TPB is hosted in the land of vikings, reindeers, Aurora Borealis and cute blonde girls.

    --

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