I Own a Number
From Boingboing:
Last week, the AACS consortium made history by issuing legal threats against the 1.8 million web-pages (and counting) that mentioned its secret code for preventing HD-DVD discs from being copied.
In effect, AACS-LA (the AACS Licensing Authority) claimed that it owned a randomly chosen 128-bit number, and that anyone who possessed or transmitted that number was breaking the law. Moreover, it claimed to own millions more random numbers -- claimed that the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which criminalises telling people how to break anti-copying software, gave it exclusive dominion over its many keys.
I have generated my own encryption key for a copyrighted haiku over at freedom to tinker. My number is C2 7B 5A 83 8C 92 9C DF A0 26 5F 3B 5E E8 4C CB and it is ILLEGAL to know it, transmit it, or otherwise distribute or use it in any way. It is part of a circumvention device designed to decrypt my copyrighted data. You may not use it. I have generated several more numbers and you are not allowed to use those ones either, but I'm not telling you what they are. If you use them I will sue the pants off of you.
Are you freaking retard?
Are you freaking retard? Seriously! You can't copyright a number!
What the RIAA was TRYING to do (before a bunch of @$$ clowns like you decided to tell the world the secret) was protect the interests of copyright holders, like the film and music executives who deserve to make good money on THEIR COPYRIGHTED WORK!
I can't believe that there are people like you who think you can copyright a number - who are you? The RIAA? No, you're some guy named GTHING who has a BLOG!
Please, before you post, learn the FACTS! Think about all the good the RIAA could do if you would only let them! Imagine being a copyright holder (instead of a stupid blogger) and how hard it would be if you couldn't eat because a bunch of bloggers decided to make your private, copyrighted encryption key free to the world.
Think about these things, gthing (if that's even your real name). Think about what it's like to be somebody other than yourself who makes a living on copyrighted works - do you know how many musicians can't feed their families (or themselves)? Have you ever even thought about why they are called STARVING ARTISTS?
Think about these things. I really hope that after thinking about these things you write a full retraction with an apology to the kind people of the RIAA trying to help people like you enjoy their world more.
i have a number now
i have a number now too!...
if you haven't been following the DRM news, there has been a bit of fuss recently about whether the movie industry can own a number.
sam over at GThing got a great response when he posted his own 128 bit private number....
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