Re: GPL V3 and Linux

[Valdis . Kletnieks]

On Wed, 25 Jan 2006 10:42:24 +0100, Bernd Petrovitsch said:

> With the exception that I *can* circumvent the protection on PDFs *if*
> I'm legally allowed to copy the copyrighted work (with or without the
> owner's permission - this is one reason for a legal copy. But there are
> others which cannot be inhibited by the copyright holder - which is
> usually not the artist).

Actually, in the US, it is in fact illegal to bypass a protection scheme
*even if the content is something you have legal rights to*.

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode17/usc_sec_17_00001201----000-.html

17 USC 1201(a)(1)(A) says:

(A) No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively
controls access to a work protected under this title. The prohibition contained
in the preceding sentence shall take effect at the end of the 2-year period
beginning on the date of the enactment of this chapter. 

The rest of 1201(a)(1) talks about getting an exemption, good for 3 years only,
to allow you to bypass a control for a non-infringing use.

Got that?  You have to apply for special permission to bypass to get data that
you have rights to use....

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