this is part and parcel of the OUTLAW NAPSTER FILE SHARING and the RIAA suits, alongside the digital copyrights act. A COMMON CAUSE craze amongst liberals and conservatives.
SEVERAL decades ago, the "copyright" issue went all the way to the supreme court over making "copies" of music via audio cassette tapes. Then the issue of vhs recordings of rented videos went the same route, and the "my copyright means I am god over your ability to use my materials" crowd--- LOST again. You can legally, with the moral sanction of the law of the land and the Supremes, make a copy of any movie you want, regardless... onto a VHS tape.
With the advent of the digital age, and the ability to transfer ANY form of data; movies, music, press copy, newswire feeds and etc... an opportunity was found, whereby a NEW kind of copying could be regulated, legislated, criminalized, prosecuted... or even taxed.
This law, the digital millenium copyright act, has; along with a cadre of similar laws and enforcement techniques; been successfully used, to stifle, constrain and prosecute issues of free speech. IT was authored and championed by conservatives. And we lost our right to free and unrestricted speech, via a perversion of the fair use doctrine... that is being applied to conservative websites primarily.
We are seeing it's misapplication, and a host of other "copyright" law, perversions... all to stop downloading of music, that has NOT been proven a theft in ANY court of law.
Before long, using the principles of rights to distribution under the new perversion of the DMCA, you will soon be committing a crime if you pass YOUR newspaper(now all of which are produced digitally, via computers) on to anyone, either in whole or in part... as your paper, will be converted into a license for use by one person only.
Discussing from memory will be disallowed if your recollection is over two paragraphs, or 240 words.
And certain of the conservatives, here on this website, will applaud any movement in that direction, as being fair protection of the copyright owner's "property".
Right now, this is just about restricting conservatives from researching the content of online journalism... by fear our wellknown products here, the online "expose" of journalistic Bullcrap.
But it will, or shall I say IS expanding.
I am conservative on the war on terror, and issues of individual freedom. The digital copyright act and all the other perverse interpretations of copyright law, now being used to fuel the growth of the "don't tell others what I said" list... NEED to be challenged and defeated.
I am sorry to see that list growing Jim.
Cockroaches have found a way to make it illegal to turn the rocks over... and expose them.
the law of unforseen consequences at work in living color, digitally of course.