New DMCA exemptions released

Interesting thing I saw on NY Times: the US government released a new set of exemptions to the DMCA.
http://www.copyright.gov/1201/

The following types of cracking are now allowed:
- DVD ripping, but only for short clips used for commentary, or education/nonprofit purposes. This expands a previous exemption which was only for film studies professors making clip shows.
- Jailbreaking smartphones (for use with legally obtained apps)
- Switching carriers on used cell phones. This is carried over from last time, it seems
- White-hat security hacking for video games (?)
- Cracking dongle-protected software when the dongles are no longer being made. Also carried over from last time
- Cracking ebooks to enable read-aloud/screen readers. Also carried over from last time

And we lost:
- An exemption about audio CDs with rootkits, but those have pretty much disappeared anyway.
- The right for libraries/archives to make archival copies of obsolete computer programs and games that require the original media. This one's a shame.

 

Damn that sucks, now you can not even get another subscription on your Iphone if you want some body else than AT&T . Well I am not surprised the least at all. But it is sad all the way.

 

Somehow you managed to get that completely wrong. That's exactly what has now been granted an exemption:

In other words, once the contract is over and the phone is "yours" you're allowed to crack it to permit it to use a different provider.

 

Thanks, for that clearing up. Sorry, I just went into a bit of a WTF mode.

 

Sounds like a great idea, oh by the way did you know Iceland used to be Danish ? until Denmark needed money (we were on the verge of bankruptcy)

 

How about Greenland, is that for sale?

 

Nope. But when the ice is gone from Greenland, then who knows about whom will get the oil, and other precious minerals.

 

Everywhere used to belong to someone else.

 

Could someone explain this in simpler terms?

It means, basically it's not legal to make backups (Ie:ISO/s) of Abandonware games that are no longer made that require you to use the original media to play?

Or did I miss something and completely make that more complicated than it seems?

 

In basic terms, the DMCA's main purpose is to make it illegal to reverse engineer and circumvent a copy protection mechanism (this applies in the US only, of course). There was an exemption for libraries or educational institutions which was as you quoted, however this exemption has been removed.

 

True, the same goes to "The Danish West Indies" now known as The Virgin Islands.

 

AH ok. Thanks:clap:

 

Not sure how more simply I can put it: the same goes for every square inch of land on the planet.

On topic: Not sure where I'd rather live: a digital-police state, or the fist-fuck which is the current state of the country I reside in.

 

Fist Fuck. I like some lawlessness in my diet.

 

Was talking to a friend of mine today's whose sister-in-law just got divorced from her husband who beat the shit out of her and both of their kids. Guess how much he has to pay in alimony and child support: ZERO!! GO JAPAN!

 

GP: I sincerely hope you were sarcastic, or else I do not know what to say. But if a man or a woman (it happens, no joke) beats the living shit out of his or her partner and kids, and does not need to pay alimony or any kind of compensation. Then something is fucking wrong, where ever you live. Since that is just fucked up beyond recognition in my mind anyway.

 

I hardly thing that's your worry, it's not like you wife's gonna beat you up..or is it? :-0

 

Barc0de: I actually personally know of a man (no he was not beat up, before you even make the joke) who ran with leaflets for a shelter for men, who was physically abused by their wives in USA, and well that is a true story.

 

I guess you don't know what to say then. Before we completely derail this thread (hey, we're keeping it to legal talk), google around for "Japan Divorce Law". Maybe throw in an adjective like "archaic" or "laughable" in there. The sad thing is, they totally fuck the side which is the least of a douche bag. IE, a right cunt can really make her ex-husbands life suck. My wife could very easily make it so I can't legally see my son until he's 18.

It's one of the requests sometimes but the sex life gets far less colorful after children.

On the up side... downloading (not uploading) just became illegal this last year and like the divorce laws, they are not enforced... at least not strictly. There's no RIAA equivalent here. If you upload...especially blatantly, and something that's yet to be released, they will come and jab you in the ass w/ a baseball bat.