"Digital home recording rights...". Boucher Introduces Fair Use Rights Bill.  First technology-related legislation calls for amending DMCA to preserve consumers' traditional rights to make copies of legally purchased copyrighted material.  [internetnews.com] [jenett.radio]

Well, that's nice, but it's a measure to stem the tide, not a real step forward.  The bill's scope is remarkably narrow.  It's better than nothing, but...

If the entertainment oligopoly is going to get away with extending copyright retroactively every ten years, I want something in return to help restore the balance, dammit.  I want my fair use and first sale doctrine rights extended, and I want copyleft written into law.  I want a Consumer Technology Bill of Rights or better still a Digital Technology User's Declaration of Rights.  Now, before it's too late.

This article is factually incorrect on at least one point.  The Fair Use doctrine was established in the mid 1800's, not in the 1980's.  The Betamax case simply established the applicability of Fair Use to modern means of expression (as opposed to books and newspapers).  I'd expect a little better research...

12:14:16 AM