A federal judge today has sadly undermined the liberty of ideas, upholding some poorly-written (and perhaps intentionally so, says my paranoid doppelganger) copyright laws. One of the problems is that some of these laws reserve rights even for materials for which creators have not sought protection! I read about this at Boing Boing, which includes links to relevant court papers.
I should also probably mention the name of the case: Kahle v. Ashcroft. It pits Internet Archive, a nonprofit digital library, and the Prelinger Archives, which preserves films, against the U.S. Justice Department. Surprised that the government wants to keep certain information out of your hands? Don't be.
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