Cultural Implications of the Information Society.the Dmca Good or Bad?

THE DMCA, Good or Bad?

Signed into law October 28th, 1998 under the Clinton administration The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is an aggressive legislation with the intention of aligning the United States with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty. All signatory countries must apply rules decided on by that international legislative body as part of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The DMCA is still n hot issues of debate even 9 years after enactment in the scientific and academic community. Big Cooperation’s like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), use previsions like the DMAC Takedown as an iron curtain against website that might contain prohibited content and the academic community that might find flaws in the software (Wiki). There are pros and cons to the provisions provided in the DMCA, but overall the DMCA is an enactment that protects cooperation’s like the RIAA, the MPAA, and internet providers (though this could not be said to have an negative impact on individuals rights).

Some of the major provisions in the DMCA are as follows:

“Makes it a crime to circumvent anti-piracy measures built into most commercial software.

· Outlaws the manufacture, sale, or distribution of code-cracking devices used to illegally copy software.

· Does permit the cracking of copyright protection devices, however, to conduct encryption research, assess product interoperability, and test computer security systems.

· Provides exemptions from anti-circumvention provisions for nonprofit libraries, archives, and educational institutions under certain circumstances.

· In general, limits Internet service providers from copyright infringement liability for simply transmitting information over the Internet.

· Service providers, however, are expected to remove material from users' web sites that appears to constitute copyright...