Karl Jonsson’s Weblog

Proposed US Law to Plug “Analog Hole”

“Analog hole” legislation introduced, Ars Technica reports. The “analog hole” is, for example, the ability to record the audio output from your CD player, even if DRM prevents you from ripping it. Obviously, DRM enthusiasts, such as the MPAA and the RIAA, are unhappy about this and now a new law is proposed that would require all devices to check for some kind of DRM signal and refuse to record if such signals are present. The motive is to prevent piracy, of course . . .

Once the MPAA and pals have their way, you’re going to pay through the nose for even the most basic of Fair Use rights. You’re going to pay for the right to rewind and “re-experience” content. The Copy Prohibited Content class, complete with its asinine insta-delete feature is nothing but a back door into attacking what the content industry hates most: your ability to timeshift content.

Thru Ulf Pettersson and /..