Apparently someone in the House of Representatives decided to help the consumers over the summer.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Ca) introduced The Digital Choice and Freedom Act of 2002, which would “amend the divisive Digital Millennium Copyright Act so that consumers could bypass technical protections on copyrighted material if they plan to use the work legally. And it would place restrictions on shrink-wrap licenses.”
“Consumers need a voice in this debate,” Lofgren said in a statement. “Right now, it is the entertainment industry versus the technology industry, and the consumers are watching from the sidelines.”
The legislation has been endorsed by the EFF and the Silicon Alley companies in her district. It is considered a response to the two Hollywood-backed bills introduced earlier this year, the Hollings and Berman bills.
Unfortunately, since the House is about to end its session, the bills themselves will not gain sufficient time to be discussed by House members. “Many congressmen spend the final days of the session introducing bills that cover issues important to the lawmakers and their constituents, even if they aren’t likely to get a hearing. The lawmakers are essentially planting a stake in the ground with plans to resurrect the issue next year.” Fortunately, neither the Berman nor the Hollings bills will be passed either before House members go either on vacation or on the campaign trail.
Read the bill
Read about it on Cnet
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