The laws regarding intellectual property in the United States have become outdated and overly restrictive. Technology has made it necessary to revisit these regulations so created work can be more thoroughly enjoyed.
Let’s take movies, for example. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act prevents us from circumventing DRM for any reason. This means we’re legally unable to backup our DVD’s. We also can’t legally shift the movie from a disc to another device, such as an iPod. What consumer is going to be willing to pay for the same movie multiple times? What if you bought a car, but you were only able to drive it on local roads. If you wanted to drive on the interstate, you’d have to buy the car again. Would anyone go for that? Of course not. Why should we be forced to do the same with our digital content?
The DMCA has overreaching powers which is ripe for abuse by copyright owners. Congress must safeguard consumer’s rights with regards to digital entertainment. If not, the entertainment industry will be left in the dust.
