[mythtv-users] Who needs to worry about copyright? CoreAVCforLinux removed from Google Code

Calvin Dodge caldodge at gmail.com
Mon May 5 21:15:19 UTC 2008


On Mon, May 5, 2008 at 1:33 PM, Brian Wood <beww at beww.org> wrote:
>
>
> possible just look at what happened with telephone records of the major
> operators in the USA, and the current attempt by the government to grant ex
> post facto immunity to those operators for what was clearly a violation of
> the law (else why would they need immunity?).

No, it wasn't "clearly a violation of the law".  The phone companies
made good-faith effort to cooperate with the Federal government in its
attempts to track terrorist activity, and they believed they were
operating within the law.

But big-name trial lawyers make their living by creating ex post facto
law - persuading juries that actions which were believed to be legal
somehow aren't (like claiming fraud due to gigabyte vs gibibyte
issues).

That's why the Democrats in Congress have been blocking renewal of
immunity - trial lawyers constitute an important (and wealthy) faction
of the Democrat coalition.

This doesn't negate your point about such projects being hosted
outside the US - but that's been happening for some time now (like
SSL-based projects before RSA's patent expired). DMCA merely provides
additional incentive for developers to host their work in foreign
countries.

Calvin


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