DMCA vs. Ham Radio?
January 16th, 2003 by Jay Sulzberger in
Ham radio operator and webmaster Brett Wynkoop is scheduled to speak on "Threats to Amateur Radio in the Digital Age" at a New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Services meeting on Thursday, January 16, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the American Red Cross, 150 Amsterdam Avenue & 66th Street in Manhattan. It is free and open to the public.
This presentation will cover the DMCA, Digital "Rights Management", the Sonny Bono Act and how they are being used to stop free speech, research and progress in the useful arts and sciences. Attendees will also learn how these laws, combined with other proposals, nullify any person's Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and how this can lead to a de facto ban on research into digital communications by ham radio operators. We will also discuss what you can do to protect your rights today and tomorrow.
Brett Wynkoop, WA3YRE, is a veteran fighter on the new civil rights front of the digital age. He operates brooklynonline.com and a small computer consulting business from the Park Slope home he shares with his wife, Kathleen; cat, Marisa; and rabbit, Coco. He was originally licensed in 1972 as WN6URI, then WB6URI. He has been involved in emergency communications since obtaining his novice license. He was net control for the San Diego County slow speed CW net on 3725 Khz. After upgrading to a general class license, he started the San Diego County 10 Meter phone traffic and emergency net. He has worked on emergency communications during California brush fires, east cost hurricanes and other situations both large and small. He loves to tinker with antennas and simple one-evening electronic projects.
Editor's note: There is a nationwide blood shortage, so if you'd like to thank the Red Cross for providing the meeting space, please check the Red Cross site for instructions on how to donate blood.
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Re: DMCA vs. Ham Radio?
On January 17th, 2003 Anonymous says:
Would it be possible to get the text from Brett's speach.
Re: DMCA vs. Ham Radio?
On January 18th, 2003 Anonymous says:
If you want, send me your address, and I will pass it on to Brett. Likely at some point some version of the talk will go up on
http://www.nyfairuse.org/
Jay Sulzberger
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Re: DMCA vs. Ham Radio?
On January 16th, 2003 Anonymous says:
This notice was actually written by Brett Wynkoop. I just passed it on.
As for Hams and the Plot to Outlaw Private Ownership of Computers, well, if you are a ham and you work on Software Defined Radio, then shortly you may find that your work outlawed. The FCC is considering imposing the Broadcast Flag, which would require every SDR receiver in the United States to use an analog to digital converter which has gotten a license from Infotainment Central. IC would only license ADCs that "obeyed the Broadcast Flag", which means that the ADC would have to scan the through put screen for a
DO NOT COPY
tag and the closing DNC tag. Any waves/bits in between two such tags would have to not be passed on into your computer. Further, the ADC would have to "tamper-resistant". Imposing the Broadcast Flag would end amateur work in SDR.
But the Broadcast Flag is simply the crudest assault on our right to private ownership of computers. In the last couple of days, Microsoft and Intel and RIAA have announced that they intend to force Palladium into all IBM style peecees in the next year. What is Palladium? Well it does not yet exist and it does not even have a published specification, but it is the Microsoft system of "Digital Rigjhts Management". Palladiated hardware will only boot a Palladiated OS, and any Palladiated OS must be licensed by Microsoft. Though Microsoft has claimed that Palladiated hardware will boot other OSes this is not true. If it were true, today Microsoft and its captive OEMs would abide by the plain and simple language of the Refund Clause of the EULA, which they do not. And Palladiated hardware will respect the Microsoft brand of Broadcast Flag, so if you are a ham, and you want to continue to work with SDR, you should write to the American Relay Radio League now, and let the board know about this fundamental threat to the Traditional Rights and Duties of the Ancient and Accepted Order of Hams.
For more see
http://www.nyfairuse.org
Jay Sulzberger
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