Sad news for Microsoft Reader users and freedomlovers who thought that the Hanoverian King George III and his merchant cheerleaders in Parliament were just ghosts. Received via e-mail tonight from someone at XianFox–and confirmed with a trip to Dan Jackson Software’s page:
The UK’s implementation of the European Union Copyright Directive means that, starting from October 31st, it will no longer be legal to use or distribute Convert LIT in the UK. In accordance with this Directive, we will unfortunately be closing down this web page. If you believe you can provide a home for Convert LIT which is not affected by this or similar directives/laws, please drop us a line. A news story concerning the new directive can be found here.
The TeleRead take: Remember, this is a battle about fair use–about the right to make backups and truly own books as opposed to just renting them.
In both Europe and the States, it’s high time for copyright laws to be a major election issue. Writing on the DMCA, a congressman named Rick Boucher, from my own state of Virginia, has said: “The American public has traditionally enjoyed the ability to make convenient and incidental copies of copyrighted works without obtaining the prior consent of copyright owners. These traditional ‘fair use’ rights are at the foundation of the receipt and use of information by the American people. Unfortunately, those rights are now under attack.”
Money, cash from Hollywood and perhaps equivalents in Europe, is Reason One why governments are so out of touch with democratic traditions. Of course, it would be interesting to see if the European action triggering the U.K. outrage also reflected high-priced lobbying by Microsoft and the like among the Eurocrats who authored the loathsome directive.
At any rate–whatever the price of the new laws–the land of King George ended up King Georging the Brits just as our pols have King Georged us. Time for a better copyright and businesss model that would be fair to the public and copyrightholders alike without a repressive DMCAish approach?
Historical aside: Remember, King George III was at least in part just like EU copyright law–a Continental import to an extent, one of the Hanoverians. George I, coming from Germany, couldn’t even speak English. Looks as if the EU and UK freedomlovers are talking in different languages, too.
See if History Central’s description of the King doesn’t fit some pols and ‘crats on both sides of the Atlantic: “It was a sad day for the British Empire when King George became its political master. He was a man of narrow intellect, and lacked every element of the greatness of statesmanship. ‘He had a smaller mind,’ says the British historian, Green, ‘than any English king before him save James II.’ He showered favors on his obsequious followers, while men of independent character whom he could not bend to his will became the objects of his hatred.”
King George III reminds me especially of Bruce Lehman, Bill Clinton’s intellectual property czar, who threatened to “ruin” James Boyle, an American University professor with the nerve to question the White House’s Hollywood-bought copyright policies. That’s just a preview of the future. The more we erode Fair Law both in the States and abroad, the easier it will be for political foes to use copyright law against opponents.
A new verb: Yes, you read that right–“King George” as a verb. The definition? “To be oppressively corrupt toward.”
Chauvinistic aside: Someone said the Brit Legislature is the best money can buy. Oh, come on. Ours is the best legislature money can buy! I’m right across the Potomac River from Washington, and I can smell the reek.
Perhaps uppity Netfolks need to start a Bought Pol list and related Web Page chronicling the link between campaign cash and anti-Net laws by congress members, MPs and legislators in other countries.
We could also start identifying EU bureaucrats and the like whose actions are especially abhorrent. Then we could hold an international vote to see which national or international government is closest in corruption to New Jersey in its heyday.
Related news for Reader users: Jerry Justianto reports that “MS Limited Time Free eBook site is back again (and, yes, you can still crack ’em with Convert Lit 1.5).” Enjoy backups–book ownership–while you can!
