November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

Bar Association Wants ?Pirate? WiFi Regulated

April 11, 2003
Cory Doctorow boingboing.com 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

The American Bar Association is looking closely at copyright issues related to wireless Internet use. Trouble is, they don?t seem to know anything about 802.11x networking or the Internet.

RELATED CONTENT

Author Cory Doctorow, writing on his weblog, boingboing.com, notes that the report by the ABA?s Committee on New Information Technology may be ?one of the most clueless documents? he?s ever read. The committee, he says, seems to view wireless Internet networks as simply a tool for copyright infringement, ?with a grudging admission that offices find them useful sometimes.?

The group recommends that wireless networks be retooled to accomodate Digital Rights Managment (DRM) schemes, which protect content providers from copyright infringement by restricting how customers may use the materials they?ve purchased, a suggestion that Doctorow says ?is like saying ?to protect the environment, we should get recyclable toner cartridges for our manual typewriters.??

In other words, he concludes, the ABA simply wants to redesign wireless networks and the Internet to prevent copyright infringement, ?even though you?d think that a bunch of lawyers would have some idea of how impractical that is.?
?Craig Cox

Go there>>Bar Association Wants ?Pirate? Wi Fi Regulated

Related Links:

Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

Add Your Comment

We’d like to know what you think. To comment, please use this form. E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments. First time registrants: You will receive an email confirming your email address. Once you confirm, your comment will be posted. Questions about our comments policy? Click here.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Utne Reader?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Pay Now & Save $6!
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Want to gain a fresh perspective? Read stories that matter? Feel optimistic about the future? It's all here! Utne Reader offers provocative writing from diverse perspectives, insightful analysis of art and media, down-to-earth news and in-depth coverage of eye-opening issues that affect your life.

Save Even More Money By Paying NOW!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of Utne Reader for only $29.95 (USA only).

Or Bill Me Later and pay just $36 for 6 issues of Utne Reader!