CSC 400 Assignment: DMCA Questions
You will be
assigned to research and report on one of the
following issues concerning the Digital Milennium Copyright Act,
which you should have read (in its entirety) by now.
You (or your group) are to research the issue, discuss it among your group,
prepare a written report (one per group) on the order of a few pages,
and present the results of your investigation to the class
(say about 10 minutes).
Look at the other topics as well as your own so that your presentation
does not overlap too much with some other .
Presentations will be in the order of the topics on this page, so
you may be able to anticipate what previous presentations have said in
preparation of your own.
I have tried to leave time for discussion of the issues, so this can run into
the next class. If we finish in one day, I will have another
exercise planned.
Be sure your report includes references to your sources.
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Research the history of the DMCA. When was it written?
Why (officially or unofficially)?
What were the stated goals?
What sort of debate was it subject too.
What political, corporate and other interests were involved in
drafting the rules?
A B
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How did the DMCA change previously existing copyright law with respect
to providing protection for creative works in various media?
What forms of expression are now protected that were not previously?
What changes were made regarding burden of proof or assignment of
damages for violation of copyright protection?
C D
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What does the DMCA mandate for recording and playback hardware,
both analog and digital?
What is the stated intent? Are the regulations likely to be
effective for the stated purpose?
What are likely consequences of these regulations?
E
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What regulations does the DMCA establish concerning cryptology?
What is the stated intent?
Are there potential unintended consequences of the relevant sections?
Is there evidence of a hidden agenda?
Has there been specific litigation under these rules?
F
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What does the DMCA say about boats?
Why is this section present? Does it have anything to do with
the digital milennium?
What interests had a hand in getting this material included?
G
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Various groups have raised concerns about the potential negative impact
of the DMCA on freedom of expression, fair use of copyrighted material,
free flow of information, and even basic scientific research.
What are some of the major concerns?
What groups and interests are raising them?
Have these concerns been reflected in any actual incidents involving
litigation or threat thereof under DMCA? What happened>
Again, be specific. Name names, tell stories.
H
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How has the DMCA fared overall?
Has it been effective in achieving its stated goals?
Are current "standards" looser, tighter, or the same as they were
prior to the information age?
Has legal use of and access to copyrighted material increased or
decreased?
Is illegal use more likely to be prosecuted today than it was 20 years ago?
Try to find some actual statistics to back up any claims.
I
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Have any sections of the DMCA been effectively invalidated?
What is likely for the future?
Is there any legislation being considered for revised or expanded
copyright protection for digital media?
What are its chances?
J
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