I want my Tivo
Imagine: You get pulled over by a policeman for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. The officer informs you that you’ve broken the letter of the law and will be issued a ticket, will have to appear in court, and pay some money. You inform the officer that you obeyed the spirit of the law, because you looked in all directions and were absolutely certain that nothing was coming and that by pulling out you endangered nobody, even though your car did not completely stop. Do you think our fair officer or your judge will buy your argument? The answer is Hell no they won’t!
This is exactly the same as my complaint about SB 213 and HB 457, which has been the hot topic of debate among the RTB. Barry has an excellent summary here.
I support the spirit of this law in that it is designed to protect intellectual property but the letter of this law is akin to using a double-barreled shotgun as a flyswatter. It’s too much and grants too much authority to the government and (only slightly worse) corporations.
Apparently, the bill is dead now but I was on vacation when it was sweeping the Blogosphere.
Regarding the bill’s coverage by the press and the Blogosphere, Bill Hobbs says: . . . I didn’t realize I had blogged on it 23 times since March 31. . . Meanwhile, The Tennessean wrote about it twice.
Bill Hobbs concludes:
Is blogging journalism? No. It’s better.
Werd!
