[mythtv-users] The Coax Straightjacket: Stopping Cable Copy-Protection Abuse

[R. G. Newbury]

Steven Adeff wrote:
> On 10/12/07, R. G. Newbury <newbury at mandamus.org> wrote:
>> This link: http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000310.html
>>
>> is an interesting article about cableco's changing the 'do not copy byte'.
>>
>> Does anyone know of any programs which would allow a user to find the
>> CCI byte in a digital stream?
>>
>> I'm in Canada, and the use of a program to find, and even change the CCI
>> byte in a digital file on my computer is not illegal. And although the
>> MPAA and RIAA believe otherwise, I do not think that it breaches the US
>> DMCA, although that is just my opinion, and relies in part upon my
>> necessarily fuzzy understanding of the US Copyright Act fair use
>> doctrine, as explained by SCOTUS in the Betamax decision.
> 
> Recent court decisions involving the DMCA have basically ignored and
> made null the Betamax decision, so using that as a defense is risky at
> best.
> 
> But your Canadian so it doesn't apply to you, for now...
> 
> good luck!
> 

Well  I have not seen any decisions which inpinge on the BetaMax fair 
use doctrine. The DMCA and cases coming from it have focussed on the
'circumvention' aspects or on the 'making available' contravention..

Geoff