The Firmware Page

I don't know how many people outside the US have been following this, but if the bill becomes law, its effects would go way beyond the US.

www.digitalconsumer.org/cbdtpa/

From my understanding it would affect all digital devices - cd players, dvd players, TVs, computers and all kinds of computer drives, cameras (you get the idea...).

well It would only result that the factorys have to make special version for the USA,,
so the usa will isolatie it self even more.
In europe the opposite is going on and in australia there is a court battle agianst region coding as a whole!
If the move intdry loses this battle factorys are allowd to make region free hardware in australia...
This could result that magor hardware componys move to australia.....
And also the hig courd verdict in the case of Kazaa ruled that the Firmware/software makers are NOT responsible for what poeple do with it.
so In holland it opens the way for Philips to start manufacture the DIgital video recorder working on dvd+rw disc....
So in the end the rest of the world would not care and the usa is losing a lot of there $ to Europe and the pasific...

I would agree except for the fact that the US accounts for about 40% or more of some of the hardware and content providers revenues (the figure is off the top of my head, but even if it isn't 40%, it's still a big percentage). Also, according to the terms of the bill anything originating here would have to have the coding this includes not only things like digital cameras but also music CDs, software etc (way beyond the already fragmented DVD market) and would work with anything which didn't have it built in. Likewise nothing produced outside which doesn't have it would not be allowed...

Essentially, sites like this would become illegal (underground) despite the fact that there would be more of a need for them than ever.

You raise a good point about Kazaa though. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out if they decide to pursue it.

I hadn't heard about the Philips digital video recorder with rw dvd - that is cool!

In ten years time, Economists will reflect on how the MPAA and the RIAA killed the electronics industry by enforcing stupid restrictive measures and induced a major downturn in the economy.

Most people would agree that what currently drives westerns economies is the high tech sector (the fact that Bill G. is the richest man alive is only the logical consequence of this).

On the other hand, in their desperate crusade to preserve their holy "rights" (Sounds more and more like some kind of Monarchy has to be overthrown... Hey, I'm French after all!), the MPAA and RIAA are gradually turning consumer's deeply rooted freedom into rotten servitude to superconglomerates, and by doing so, gradually prevent any kind of beneficial progress coming from an inalienable form of freedom based on accessing (and thus duplicating) information. Think about something that could be called "freedom of listening" here. There once was freedom of speech, and now we've got to extend it so that no individual can be prevented from accessing every single piece of information they need to reach the full potential of their capabilities.

There are hundred of artists out there who would amaze you, but whom you've never heard of, coz other people decided that you should pay first to apreciate their genius (which means that you would have to know beforehand that the content is valuable to you).

There has to be another system where you access information first, and reward it afterwards, according to your means and how relevant or enjoyable you found the information. This natural selection of information is the only means to move our information society forward IMO, with the beneficial effect that no-brains artists like Britneys and the likes would be filtered out instantly.

Of course, with such a system, the power would be given back to the people, which wouldn't please the various monarchs that currently rule the information publishing business.

I demand revolution!

Still, in the meantime, both the RIAA and MPAA are poising human evolution to stagnate, if not regress, all in the name of big profits. If ever they succeed, I feel dark ages and intellectual recession coming upon us my friends...

You said it >NIL 8)

It was well said, it kept everyone speechless for over a year!