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Date:      Thu, 16 May 2002 12:31:07 -0700
From:      Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com>
To:        Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@online.fr>
Cc:        Mike Meyer <mwm-dated-1022007157.577b53@mired.org>, Nils Holland <nils@daemon.tisys.org>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: The road ahead?
Message-ID:  <3CE408FB.886CAD1C@mindspring.com>
References:  <20020516004909.A9808@daemon.tisys.org> <15586.61471.456290.764885@guru.mired.org> <20020515211922.J1282@darkstar.gte.net> <3CE34A8B.7D999E2C@mindspring.com> <20020516091031.A2259@daemon.tisys.org> <15587.56669.382241.766052@guru.mired.org> <20020516192546.B8944@daemon.tisys.org> <20020516193049.G79514@lpt.ens.fr> <15587.65524.899611.798267@guru.mired.org> <20020516210154.L79514@lpt.ens.fr>

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Rahul Siddharthan wrote:
> > > That's exactly what the DMCA is about.
> >
> > Half right. The DMCA proper doesn't have the hardware requirement on
> > the computer industry, nor does it make it illegal to break the
> > encryption even if you don't violate the copyright.
> 
> I'm not sure about private use, but it *does* forbid you to tell
> people how you break encryption, and it *does* outlaw devices which
> let you break the encryption, regardless of intent.  That's exactly
> what both the DeCSS and the Sklyarov cases were about -- both DeCSS
> and Elcomsoft's program have legitimate uses but that doesn't matter
> under the DMCA.  It's an exact analogy to the knife example above.

I like that interpretation; it makes general purpose computers
illegal, since they are devices which allow you to break
encryption.

Perhaps we can get algebra outlawed, as well, being as knowledge
of it is a component of such a device...

-- Terry

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