Year: 2002
-
Washington Post on Tech Regulation
Today’s Washington Post quotes Fred von Lohmann of the EFF as saying that putting Hollywood in charge of technological progress would be like “putting the dinosaurs in charge of evolution.” The Post article also includes this artfully constructed paragraph: Hollywood wants to add a “digital flag,” or identifier, to coming digital television broadcasts, that would…
-
Don't Blame "The Government"
Some people have interpreted my previous posting, “The Fallacy of the Almost-General-Purpose Computer” as saying that the U.S. government views general-purpose computers as a threat. That’s not quite what I meant to say. What I meant to say was that in Washington law/policy/lobbyist circles, the proposition that general-purpose computers might be too dangerous is now…
-
Fritz's Hit List #17
Today on Fritz’s Hit List: digital aircraft intercoms. These devices, which let the pilot or co-pilot of an aircraft speak to passengers, qualify for regulation as “digital media devices” under the Hollings CBDTPA. If the CBDTPA passes, any newly manufactured digital aircraft intercoms will have to incorporate government-approved copy restriction technology. Fight piracy – regulate…
-
The Fallacy of the Almost-General-Purpose Computer
I was at a conference in Washington, DC on Friday and Saturday. Participants included some people who are reasonably plugged in to the Washington political process. I was stunned to hear one of these folks sum up the Washington conventional wisdom like this: “The political dialog today is that the general purpose computer is a…
-
Fritz's Hit List #16
Today on Fritz’s Hit List: talking pill bottles. These pill bottles, designed as an aid to visually impaired patients, play a recorded audio message to identify themselves, so they qualify for regulation as “digital media devices” under the Hollings CBDTPA. If the CBDTPA passes, any newly manufactured talking pill bottles will have to incorporate government-approved…
-
Lessig's Post-Mortem on the Eldred Arguments
Larry Lessig offers an extraordinary post-mortem on this week’s Supreme Court arguments in the Eldred case. Lessig deserves our enduring thanks, and a long, peaceful vacation.
-
Bricklin: Copy Protection Robs the Future
Dan Bricklin explains how copy restriction technology frustrates archiving of historically interesting works. Archivists normally preserve works by copying them; so works that can’t be copied may never be archived. Bricklin tells a sobering story about his attempts to recover an original copy of VisiCalc (the first spreadsheet program, of which Bricklin himself was the…
-
Fritz's Hit List #15
Today on Fritz’s Hit List: the Wallace and Gromit talking alarm clock. This alarm clock wakes its owner by playing copyrighted audio, so it qualifies for regulation as a “digital media device” under the Hollings CBDTPA. If the CBDTPA passes, any newly manufactured talking alarm clocks will have to incorporate government-approved copy restriction technology. Fight…
-
Fritz's Hit List #14
Today on Fritz’s Hit List: scrolling signs. These signs display digital information, which may be copyrighted, in visual form, so they qualify for regulation as “digital media devices” under the Hollings CBDTPA. If the CBDTPA passes, any newly manufactured scrolling signs will have to incorporate government-approved copy restriction technology. Fight piracy – regulate signs!
-
CNet Radio Interview
I’ll be interviewed on CNet Radio today, at some point between 1:30 and 2:00 P.M. Eastern time. Click here if you want to listen to a live feed.