WASHINGTON– A group of technology vendors, consumer rights groups, and ISPs are banding together to support 18-month-old U.S. House legislation that would let consumers make personal copies of copyrighted digital products, including movies and music.
The Personal Technology Freedom Coalition has kicked an effort to push the Digital Media Consumers’ Rights Act through Congress. The legislation was introduced in January 2003 by Representative Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat. It would allow consumers to break copy controls to do such things as make personal copies of compact discs or movies. Supporters say the bill is necessary to protect consumers’ so-called fair-use rights to make personal copies, which the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) curtails.
“We don’t think it’s illegal to buy CDs and videos and make a small number of copies for personal use,” says Representative Joe Barton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Under the DMCA… it’s become virtually impossible to do that. We’re not trying to make it open season for piracy or anything like that.”
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