DeCSS, crypto, law, and economics

[bear]

On Wed, 8 Jan 2003, Pete Chown wrote:


>One last point is that governments serve the interests primarily of
>their own people.  So the job of Britain's government is to get me, and
>other Brits, the best possible deal on films within the UK.  This might
>mean balancing the interests of British consumers against British film
>producers.  It doesn't mean balancing British consumers against foreign
>film producers.  If no films were made in Britain, the government would
>logically insist on a completely free market that allowed parallel
>imports and circumvention measures.

Ah, but you're forgetting the whole "globalization" issue.

Governments aren't answering to their own people any more; they're all
striving to become a part of the "new world order" where a norwegian
can be brought to court for a supposed violation of american copyright
laws or where the Russian Dmitri Sklyarov can be jailed in the USA for
DOING HIS JOB IN RUSSIA.  We're moving forward into a glorious new
world where governments can impose laws upon their own people, not by
the fickle and divisive will of those governed, but rather in response
to international treaties and agreements with other nations promoting
global unity and harmony.

Cryptography is a part of that wonderful vision...  if the people of
different nations can be prevented from communicating effectively with
one another, or exercising their freedoms in ways that affect one
another, then effective opposition to global unity may be reduced, and
we can all become better servants and markets to our corporate
masters.

All power to the dromedariat!

				Bear

PS.  If you happen to be mentally defective, you may not recognize
	the foregoing as sarcasm.  Please take this into account when
	composing your reply.


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