Ernest Miller has posted The Excessively Annotated RIAA Letter on the INDUCE Act (IICA), a followup to his previous work: The Obsessively Annotated Introduction to the INDUCE Act. Both are well worth reading.
politics
Hatch's Hit List Continued
Ernest, from The Importance of… expands Hatch’s Hit List:
- Hatch’s Hit List #2 – 3D Printers
- Hatch’s Hit List #3 – AM/FM Transmitters
- Hatch’s Hit List #4 – Arcade Emulators
It is important to demonstrate that this law will affect a wide range of items that we use now, and that we may well come to depend on in the future. While most of the public may not care about AM/FM Transmitters or Arcade Emulators (let’s face it, they appeal to those of us with a dominant geek side), people may not even have the chance to use a 3D printer. It may be hard to imagine what one will do with a 3D printer at first, but that very fact is one of the important reasons why we need to ensure that we, the public have access to it. Yes, there is a very real likelihood that there will be copyright infringement due to the printer. Just as there is for photocopiers, fax machines and our regular printers. But, there is a much higher likelihood that people will take the new technology and use it to transform life, improve day to day tasks and perhaps have a larger impact on the world around them.
Just as standards printers have become ubiquitous for school assignments -many of us were a part of the the transition from hand written reports to printed essays – new technology could well expand the possibilities for a student to demonstrate their point, illustrate an example or stand out in a field of normal papers.
Wouldn’t it be great to have your own scale model of the house your building to go along with the blueprints? I think so. If 3D printing is introduced to the market, and follows the normal technology and price curve, it would not be long before architectural firms could easily provide miniature models to better show what the home buyer is purchasing. I bet there would be much less confusion, and ultimately a more efficient, and more pleasant experience for both the purchaser and the builder. And hey, I think it would be pretty damn cool to have a small version of my house (or house-to-be) sitting on my desk.
Let’s extend this idea further. I have been using the Web to find plans that will show me how to add a small set of stairs to the side door of the house. While there are some great examples, providing a lot of detail, and several angles, I know it would be much easier if I just had an example to look at – even better if I can spin it in my hands to see what the bottom looks like.
The same concept could easily be extended to trade schools and universities:
- Tests requiring that students demonstrate optimal ways to route pipes or wiring in a complex environment
- An assignment to show an architectural design students can balance form with function
- Physical assembly of proposed traffic flow patterns for an engineering class.
All of these possibilities, plus countless more that we have yet to imagine may well be cut off with the passage of Senator Hatch’s INDUCE Act. We will lose an improved future because a “representative of the people” is obeying the wishes of one of his largest contributors.
Hatch's Hit List
The Importance of… brings us Hatch’s Hit List, a new compendium of devices and technology that could be removed from our lives if the INDUCE Act passes.
Party Politics and the Patriot Act
A bill proposed by a bi-partisan group of democrats and conservative Republicans, which would have revised portions of the Patriot Act was shot down last night by a vote of 210 to 210. This is after GOP leaders kept the vote open for 38 minutes (the normal limit is 15 minutes), using the extra 23 to convince members of their own party to switch their vote, perhaps fearing the President Bush would follow through on his promised veto the bill. So, for now, the federal government can keep an eye on our reading habits at libraries and book stores. As Representative C.L. Butch Otter (R – Idaho) states so eloquently “You win some, and some get stolen”.
Party loyalty stomped the possibility of doing the right thing. Again.
High Tech Speaks Up
As reported by The Importance of… and Copyfight, some major players in the High Tech industry are requesting hearings for the INDUCE Act. According to USA Today:
Internet search giants Google and Yahoo, chipmaker Intel, Internet service provider Verizon, auctioneer eBay, website operator Cnet Networks, and phone company MCI are among 42 companies and groups who signed a letter that will be delivered Tuesday to bill author Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, requesting hearings on the issue.
The EFF has been kind enough to post a copy of the letter.
Congressman Boucher Stands Up
As reported in The Register’s story Hatch’s Induce Act comes under fire, Congressman Rick Boucher (D – Virginia) is fighting the INDUCE Act, saying that the legislation “is very poorly defined” and that its broad language “could target just about anyone. Even a university giving its students broadband access, could, under the current wording, be construed as inducing a copyright breach.” Representative Boucher is responsible for the creation of the House Internet Caucus in 1996, and several technology initiatives.
While his Web site could use a serious redesign, Representative Boucher keeps Internet and technology legislation high on his agenda. He has recently introduced the Digital Millennium Consumers’ Rights Act, a bill that would make substantial changes to the DMCA, repealing many of its threats to fair use, and the rights of the consumer. In the hearing held on Boucher’s Bill (H.R. 107), he explained:
The fair use doctrine is threatened today as never before. Historically, the nation’s copyright laws have reflected a carefully calibrated balanced between the rights of copyright owners and the rights of the users of copyrighted material. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act dramatically tilted the copyright balance toward complete copyright protection at the expense of the Fair Use rights of the users of copyrighted material,” Boucher said. “H.R. 107 will assure that consumers who purchase digital media can enjoy a broad range of uses of the media for their own convenience in a manner which does not infringe the copyright in the work,
I highly recommend you learn more about his Internet initiatives, as he appears to be one of the few in our government to truly understand the nature of technology, and the importance of balancing the rights of corporations and consumers.
Update
The Importance of… has picked up the story as well, towards the end of the post Opposition to INDUCE Act (IICA) Getting Mainstream Press – Bill Still Moving Through Senate Quickly, pointing to one of the few articles from a major media organization (USA Today): Copyright bill poses threat to iPod’s future