What I want to do with this blog entry is enter into a serious discussion of piracy and what I believe to be a poorly conceived copyright law. What I am not doing here is teaching anyone how to use p2p applications securely to maxmixe annonimity (don't even PM me about this), where to find files, or advocating out right theft.

But what gets me going on this topic are the further encroachments on our Fair Use rights. You see, it shouldn't be considered theft, let alone a federal crime when I want to make a legal backup copy of my legally purchased software, but unfortunately most copyrighted media today is copy protected and it is illegal to circumvent such protections. According to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, I would be found in violation of federal law just for making such attempts utilizing many different tools to make this happen. I do find it humorous that such tools (I'm not sure I could even mention the names here) are available for purchase. Imagine that, legally purchasing software to perform my "illegal" act.

I completely respect property rights, but the trade associations are really pushing things into absurdity. It should not be illegal for me to make backup copies of my legally purchased software. Ripping a CD onto a mp3 player shouldn't be regarding as an act of piracy. Hell, even downloading a TV program over a p2p app shouldn't be illegal. Now explain this to me, for some reason recording something over Tivo, DVR, or Slingbox is perfectly OK, but over an internet connection it suddenly becomes sleazy, wrong, and illegal......um...yeah, got it. :| Why is it so benign to record something off the radio from a stereo, but if you rip streamed music off internet radio it becomes piracy? Damn, I had no idea when I was just a child that I was such a criminal when I recorded a song off the radio on my old tape deck.............and I recorded a Metallica song:o Yeah, **** you Lars, come sue me, *****.

With such abominations to our freedoms on the horizon such as the Pro-IP Act and the Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (being negotiated in secret) it doesn't look like things are getting any better.

Am I saying that I've been so holy? Not really. I've engaged in "piracy", I'll tell you that right now. Yes, I did have to download my backup copy that I couldn't burn because of SafeDisc and SecuRom. But don't you dare tell me that I infringed on the game developer's copyright, it is they who infringed upon my Fair Use rights with their anti-consumer practices. The rights of the copyright holder end where mine begin. Why should I have to risk damage to my original disc or to my optical drive just to exercise what is my right in the first place?

I would urge everyone to get educated on the issue. I recommend Electronic Frontier Foundation.