In recent weeks, since EUCD is getting closer and closer -- the final date is 22nd of December -- we've been studying other countries laws governing distribution and usage of "copy protection circumvention devices", such as DeCSS.
In U.S., it is illegal (according to New York's Appeals Court and Federal Court -- not by Supreme Court yet) to distribute DeCSS code or executables that allow circumventing DVD copy-protection known as CSS.
In EU it will be illegal from 22nd of December.
In Australia, it seems to be illegal as well -- the law was amended in 2001 to say this:
COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 116A
Importation, manufacture etc. of circumvention device and provision etc. of circumvention service
(1) Subject to subsections (2), (3) and (4), this section applies if:
(a) a work or other subject-matter is protected by a technological protection measure; and
(b) a person does any of the following acts without the permission of the owner or exclusive licensee of the copyright in the work or other subject-matter:
(i) makes a circumvention device capable of circumventing, or facilitating the circumvention of, the technological protection measure;
(ii) sells, lets for hire, or by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire or otherwise promotes, advertises or markets, such a circumvention device;
(iii) distributes such a circumvention device for the purpose of trade, or for any other purpose that will affect prejudicially the owner of the copyright;
(iv) exhibits such a circumvention device in public by way of trade;
(v) imports such a circumvention device into Australia for the purpose of:
....etc....
Full text of Australian law can be read from here.
Can anyone provide some accurate information from other countries to us? Non-EU European countries (like Norway)? Canada? Far East? South America? Africa?
In EU it will be illegal from 22nd of December.
In Australia, it seems to be illegal as well -- the law was amended in 2001 to say this:
COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 116A
Importation, manufacture etc. of circumvention device and provision etc. of circumvention service
(1) Subject to subsections (2), (3) and (4), this section applies if:
(a) a work or other subject-matter is protected by a technological protection measure; and
(b) a person does any of the following acts without the permission of the owner or exclusive licensee of the copyright in the work or other subject-matter:
(i) makes a circumvention device capable of circumventing, or facilitating the circumvention of, the technological protection measure;
(ii) sells, lets for hire, or by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire or otherwise promotes, advertises or markets, such a circumvention device;
(iii) distributes such a circumvention device for the purpose of trade, or for any other purpose that will affect prejudicially the owner of the copyright;
(iv) exhibits such a circumvention device in public by way of trade;
(v) imports such a circumvention device into Australia for the purpose of:
....etc....
Full text of Australian law can be read from here.
Can anyone provide some accurate information from other countries to us? Non-EU European countries (like Norway)? Canada? Far East? South America? Africa?
