GristyMcFisty submitted this article from The Register, regarding a related kind of 'grass roots' campaign I suggested in a previous article that would be one way of loosening then (assuming the pressure remained constant, and the number of constituents were large enough to demand their respective legislators take action against it) eventually ending DRM so fair use is re-established, where copyright law in that sense is again respected. This is part of what details the movement is all about, planned to possibly run even as a political party:
running as the first major pan-European party with a common platform across all countries," said Falvinge. "We are seeing this as the next logical step that we should run on a common platform throughout Europe so that if you look at the French Pirate Party or the Spanish Pirate Party they should have the same programme as the Swedish Pirate Party when we run for the common parliament." |
While the 2009 target seems far away to help the current struggle against DRM, given the number of affiliated parties in the different countries, this already appears to be a fairly well-coordinated effort--with message standardization designed to unify the public outcry against the outrage DRM creates by limiting portability and restricting user choice. While the party's emergence has increased Swedish debate regarding file sharing and DRM-related issues, it seems unlikely the party's goal of 'legalizing file sharing' can be realized (because while potential consumers would love this, the music and movie industry will never concede file sharing to be fair to it), due to international pressures to end file sharing due to possible piracy.
However, if this party's efforts centers more on ending DRM, so customers may transfer files to devices of their choice (computer, CD-R, DVD, MP3 player of a different brand and features) after purchase, this would end such actions as Microsoft's lawsuit against Viodentia for using FairUse4WM to circumvent that 'protection.' After all, what is at
issue here? What is at issue is fairness to both sides--both the business
that sells the music track(s) and the consumer who purchases them. There
is certainly no definition of 'fair' that includes only one side enjoying a
benefit!
Together with the planned Norwegian negotiations with Apple, this movement has a real chance to end DRM, provided it succeeds in its standardization and in maintaining public outcry to the degree legislative bodies hear a deafening roar that they will not be able to ignore and will be forced to act upon.
Source: The Register
