Re: [NTLK] Harry Potter and such

From: Anton Aylward (anton_at_the-wire.com)
Date: Tue Jul 15 2003 - 10:43:17 PDT


On Tue, 2003-07-15 at 13:06, Jim Witte wrote:

> Anyway, since this thread refuses to die.. Don't assume *anything*
> when trying to discuss electronic copyrights (or patents), or even
> traditional copyrights for that matter. But you're right - it
> shouldn't matter. However, as a matter of US law (only US for now, but
> see foreboding Slashdot article recently), if the book is encrypted, by
> ANYTHING (including ROT13 allegedly), if you break the encryption to
> read it on another platform, even if you own the book, your can be
> thrown in the clink under the auspices of the DMCA. Heck, you might
> even by labeled an "Internet Terrorist" and held incommunicado for an
> indefinite period of time God-knows-where, under the auspices of the
> Patriot Act. Isn't US law and justice great?

Hmmm.
Didn't the US use native Indian speakers during the Second World War as
"unbreakable encryption"? (In that the Axis forces never did break it).
Surely, therefore, if I read the "dead tree" book that was printed in
English, translating on the fly for my Francophone newphew, I am, by
those terms and references, "breaking the encryption".

-- 
Anton Aylward <anton_at_the-wire.com>
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