Posted 8:52 AM

Had I but Known!

Somewhat belatedly, the US Senate (or, at least, some of its members) have discovered that they gave IP copyright holders broad powers in the 1998 Digital millennium Copyright Act (DCMA). According to this Network World story ("More senators question DMCA subpoenas"), three more U.S. senators have questioned a provision in the DCMA that allows copyright holders to subpoena the names of alleged file traders without first getting a judge's permission, with one suggesting that the DMCA subpoenas give copyright holders more power than U.S. law enforcement agencies have to seek information on terrorists. Well, John AShcroft couldn't have that, could he?

This very issue was brought up repeatedly during the hearings on DCMA before it was passed, so its a bit hypocritical for these senators to suddenly discover that they were evidently hoodwinked by Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley! But, then, hypocrisy has often been considered a pre-requisite for election to the Senate.