Public to chime in on copyright law

Source: Cnet.com article

WASHINGTON–Fans and foes of the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act soon will have another chance to tell the U.S. government what they think.
The Library of Congress’ Copyright Office said on Thursday that it will hold a series of public hearings over the next two months in Washington, D.C. and California to decide what changes, if any, should be made to the section of the DMCA that restricts bypassing copy-protection schemes.

Anyone with strong feelings about the DMCA, one way or another, may submit a request by Apr. 1 to testify during the public forums, the Copyright Office said in its announcement. The hearing dates in the U.S. capital will be Apr. 11, Apr. 15 and May 2. The dates and locations in California have not been set yet.

The Copyright Office’s announcement comes as criticism of the DMCA’s “anticircumvention” restrictions has grown. With a few exemptions, section 1201 generally bars people from circumventing a “technological measure that effectively control access to a work,” as well as creating or distributing tools to do the same. Copyright holders, led by groups such as the Business Software Alliance and the music and motion picture trade associations, have lobbied to keep that part of the DMCA intact. Critics, however, say it stifles legitimate research.