Although Rob Pegoraro's Sunday article, "Copyright overreach goes on world tour," was about a coordinated effort among several countries to establish common copyright rules, the unmistakable position conveyed was that creators and copyright owners should not have any right to protect the investments into their products. His disdain for copyright owners is remarkable. Most critics of the DMCA and the copyright community at least acknowledge that creators play a valuable role in providing the entertainment content that sells new technologies. But Pegoraro's article seems more like the blog of a frustrated pirate than a serious piece on how to balance copyright protections and consumer interests.
How can Mr. Pegoraro be considered a legitimate voice in this debate with statements like:
"Want a program to copy a DVD to your iPod? You can't pick that up in a shop, thanks to the 1998 vintage Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA bans that software, along with other tools that might help you use movie downloads, e-books and other "protected" files in ways not specifically allowed by their vendors."
Seriously Mr. Pegoraro, we are well past this point. Vendors…also known as the creators of way cool music, movies, video games, software, and books… have the constitutional right to determine the uses of their works. Feel free to join us in discussing licensing, fair use, and DMCA exemptions instead of misleading your readers into thinking the DMCA and rightful protection of intellectual property is somehow a barrier to innovation and new technologies.