Software developers began posting articles that were critical of Microsoft's tactics in discussion forums on a website called slashdot.org. Microsoft lawyers contacted slashdot , and citing provisions of the DMCA demanded removal of the posts. In other words, Microsoft, using the DMCA as a shield, demanded censorship of the facts that could be used to prove that they had yet again destroyed the interoperability of an open standard. The scary thing is that legal experts have opined that the DMCA gives them the power to do this. I guess this is all par for the course for how we make laws.
Big business pays lobbyists to get their interests protected in new legislation.
I can see why lawyers want it to work this way, but gosh, it sure seems like in the long run it would save us all billions if somebody with a clue was paying more than just lip service to consumer interests when these laws were first written. Be sure to enter your email address correctly. Dave Sieg heads ZFx, Inc. a Kingsport multimedia and Internet consulting company. Index Copyright 2000 ZFx Inc.