What is the BPDG?

This is a VERY important question!

I know many of you may get as far as the web page I'm directing you to and not want to read it all, but trust me when I tell you, this is going to affect every last one of us.

PLEASE read this blog entry ( http://bpdg.blogs.eff.org/archives/000113.html ) from The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) ( www.eff.org )

Short of that, the following couple of paragraphs should definitely get your attention if you’re a parent who likes taking pictures of your kids!

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Unintended Consequences

It's outrageous that Hollywood would demand a law that intentionally breaks technology so that it can't be used in lawful ways, but the unintended consequences of this regime are even more bizarre.

Virtually everything in our world is copyrighted or trademarked by someone, from the facades of famous sky-scrapers to the background music at your local mall. If ADCs are constrained from performing analog-to-digital conversion of all watermarked copyrighted works, you might end up with a cellphone that switches itself off when you get within range of the copyrighted music on your stereo; a camcorder that refuses to store your child's first steps because he is taking them within eyeshot of a television playing a copyrighted cartoon; a camera that won't snap your holiday moments if they take place against the copyrighted backdrop of a chain store such as Starbucks, which forbids on-premises photography because its fixtures are proprietary works.

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So, sit back and allow Hollywood to get away with this crap and don't be surprised it becomes VERY difficult to so much as take a picture of your kids! I'm guessing, but its probably more about what your senator's and/or congressmen are allowing Hollywood to get away with actually.

Just HAD to say something about THIS crap!

-S