[SOLVED] Are you a programmer? Read this, it's VERY important.

[jscix]

This post is about tcpa, which is basically going to be the end of open source software. Please repost this on your blogs/Social networking sites and social bookmarking sites.. we can't let this bill pass.

 

http://www.againsttcpa.com/what-is-tcpa.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Computing_Group

 

What this essentially means is that if one were to buy a TPM computer, any software which did not have a license under the TCG would not be able to run. This, then, means that a 'lockout' of sorts would exist to small to mid-sized companies who perhaps would not be able to afford licenses. It would also mean that Open Source software, which is often run by unpaid individuals, would be locked out of the computer market due to the impracticality of such an organisation having a license. This has been seen in a less than favourable light by certain groups due to this apparent coup by Proprietary based companies, such as Microsoft [1] to gain back control of the software market.[2] In addition to this, there are plans to use TPM to remotely remove and censor certain things such as MP3s and Software. [3]

 

In the USA there's a planed bill, the so called CBDPTA (Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act). First it was callen SSSCA (Security Systems Standards and Certification Act). The new name reads much more harmless. Looks like the first name made it too easy to discover the purpose of this bill.

This bill plans to legally force secure (TCPA-conform) systems. So in the USA it would then not be allowed to buy or sell systems that are not TCPA-conform. Passing this law would be punished with up to 5 years of prision and up to $500.000 fine. The same would apply for development of "open" software. Open means that it would work on systems that're not TCPA-conform.

[neylitalo]

FUD, methinks.

[steelmanronald06]

Psh, with the worldclass hackers we have, I give it a week before they are able to make their computer load any type of software they want

[marksie1988]

a week thats a bit long isnt it i mean 24 hours is the norm haha thats how rubish it all is

[GingerRobot]

Personally, i got bored after the "Please repost this on your blogs/Social networking sites"

[neylitalo]

A word of advice to everybody who reads that, and any articles like it: Take it as a grain of salt. I'm going to introduce you to a term that fits quite well here: FUD. FUD is a common term that stands for "Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt". It is applied to anything that is written with the attempt to scare people into thinking a certain thing or taking a particular action, and is generally deemed to be one of the most despicable forms of communication. Notice that the links provided by the poster have little or no reliability, and should not be taken seriously without doing your own research. Make sure to pick reliable, reputable sources - such as the House of Representatives or U.S. Senate websites. All hearing and testimony transcripts, bills and resolutions, and nearly all other US Congress activities are available to the public. (I'm of the opinion that every single thing they do should be available to the public, but I don't have a whole lot of say in the matter.)

 

• Here is a Library of Congress search engine that indexes every House and Senate bill and resolution for easy and powerful searching.
  
• The U.S. Senate page dedicated to Bills & Resolutions.
  

[jscix]

Additional Resources

 

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:s.02048:

http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2002/03/51245

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/mar2002/nf20020327_2364.htm

[neylitalo]

Those are much more reliable, thanks.

[AndyB]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Broadband_and_Digital_Television_Promotion_Act

 

Seems to think it died in 2002.  I have more up-to-date things to worry about than proposed legislation that went into limbo five years ago.

[neylitalo]

And I noticed that there was a grand total of six senators supporting this bill back when it was started - six senators out of 100 is nothing to get too worried about.

[jscix]

Seems to think it died in 2002.  I have more up-to-date things to worry about than proposed legislation that went into limbo five years ago.

 

Guess I was worked up over nothin then, well topic obviously solved.

 

modify:

 

I have to admit it irks me that legislation like this, is even considered though. And Sorry for posting old news.

[roopurt18]

According to one of the more reliable links, the legislation fell by the wayside after 9/11 and Congress has only now gotten back around to it.

 

As the article points out, I think it was the businessweek one, the problem is not piracy but the media industries inability and / or refusal to change its business models for a new type of distribution.

 

So far, the big proponents are the music and movie industries, so the first targets will be digital entertainment media.  The concept is to lock out media at the hardware level, rather than the software level.  In that regard, this proposes no danger at all to open-source code, which is what the OP was originally warning about.

 

This legislation is about protecting copyrighted material, I really don't see how it could possibly stop the open-source community.

 

<rant>

IMO, the movie industry is full of itself.  "People aren't rushing out to the theaters anymore to watch our movies, they _MUST_ be pirating them!"  I'm sure it has nothing to do with what most of Hollywood producing being total crap, the cost of a ticket being $10, and a !@#$%^& popcorn and soda costing $8 dollars.  Let's just add on the wonderfully clean bathrooms and the nanometer thin toilet paper that every theater seems to have.  Anyone remember when you had to wait almost a year for a movie to go from theater to the video store?  Now it takes about 3 to 6 months at the most.  Ready for the killer, Hollywood, here it is.  Home entertainment centers that cost only a few grand.

 

Let's assume a family that frequently likes to watch movies.  Average trip to the theater is going to run $40 to $50 for a movie that is most likely going to suck.  For the amount of money saved by not going to the theater for a single year, you can afford a moderate big screen and surround sound in addition to a monthly rental subscription at the video store.  Not only that, you can buy cheap candy from the supermarket and if you have to take a crap, you can pause the movie, crap at your leisure, and be sure that your finger isn't going to pop through the paper.

 

But "Nooooooooooooo."  Consumers _MUST_ be pirating everything.  It couldn't possibly be that we've been getting the shaft for years, reasonable alternatives are now available, and consumers are making wiser spending choices.  What you're experiencing Hollywood, is not the effects of piracy; it's the same thing the cable and phone companies went through, and that is your "clients" giving you a big, gigantic, F U.

</rant>

[448191]

Piracy HAS increased with the rise of broadband (and the popularity of usenet). Measures like this aren't going to stop it either, the only thing that will is the price of movies, and their availability.

 

If I can download a DVD in 30 min why the hell would I go to the video store and rent one? Say the store is 15 min away: I have a DVD downloaded before I could've been back, and better yet it costs me near to squat. Until distributers can compete with that, piracy will continue to exist.

 

My advice to "hollywood": drop the prices to near to nothing and offer high speed downloads.  They can't say they don't make enough money at the box office. In other words: catch up or shut up.

[redbullmarky]

haha at rooperts rant - totally spot on. add 25% to all your prices, and you have the UK version of your rant.