Weather Reports

A New DMCA Exemption for Security Research

Blake Ellis Reid, Chilling Effects Clearinghouse, August 6, 2010
Abstract: By now, most readers have probably heard about the six newly minted exemptions to the anti-circumvention measures of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), announced last week by the Librarian of Congress. For the uninitiated, Ars Technica and David Abrams of Chilling Effects have excellent overviews of the exemptions, which provide much-needed legal cover for a variety of activities including jailbreaking and unlocking cell phones, decrypting DVDs for non-commercial remixes, and several others.

Of particular interest to folks in the security community is the exemption granted for security research on video game digital rights management (DRM) systems, stemming from both realized and potential security holes in systems like Safedisc and SecuROM.
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Fight For Your Right For Fair Use

David Abrams, Chilling Effects Clearinghouse, July 27, 2010
Abstract: The Library of Congress has released a list of six circumstances in which circumvention of copyright access controls will not be a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In addition to limited exceptions for security testing of video games and dealing with obsolete hardware dongles, these include "jailbreaking" an iPhone to run user software, circumventing restrictions on connecting a used mobile phone to an alternate wireless network, removing CSS protection from a DVD to extract small portions for the purpose of criticism or comment and enabling read-aloud access to electronic books where there is no other way to get similar functionality.
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Twelve Years Under the DMCA at the Electronic Frontier Foundation

David Abrams, Chilling Effects Clearinghouse, March 12, 2010
Abstract: The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) describes multiple instances in which the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have been used to stifle legitimate speech rather than stop pirates.
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Blu-Ray and HD DVD already singing the broken DRM blues?

Yaser Herrera, Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic - Boalt Hall, March 18, 2006
Abstract: In a set of developments that shocks almost no one familiar with Digital Rights Management ("DRM") technology, it appears that the technology used to prevent copying of new, high definition DVDs, Advanced Access Content System ("AACS") has already been partially cracked.
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"Stuffing" the DMCA "Turkey" with 6 New Exemptions a Day Before Thanksgiving

Jason H. Tokoro, Samuelson Law Technology & Public Policy Clinic - Boalt Hall, November 23, 2006
Abstract: On Wednesday, November 22, 2006, the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington (“Billington”), announced six new exemptions from the prohibition against circumvention of technological protection measures that control access to copyright works, as provided in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Six exemptions are the most that have been granted during a single rulemaking session. The exemptions will go into effect on November 27, 2006 and continue through October 27, 2009.
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