[ale] firewalls... illegal? Cany anyone read legalese?

[J.M. Taylor]

I also am not a lawyer and have tried to read this thing...

If anyone can clarify this bill, I would ask that you post it on ALE so we
can all know what we're dealing with.  To my totally uneducated eyes, this
looks like a bill that is being revised from preventing the theft of cable
and phone service, to include internet services as well. Just about any
big crime you commit, there are smaller laws that don't generally affect
law-abiding citizens that they pull out to lump on top of the major crime.
 For some reason it seems that it's not enough to murder somebody, you
have to have done it in *this* illegal way with *that* illegal object
during the commission of some other crime. :P

Passing a law that would globally make NATting firewalls illegal would
impact most government agencies in the state, as well as schools, banks,
businesses, and anyone who's online.  It is hard for me to imagine that
that is the intent of this bill, so again if anyone can decipher this, I
would be most appreciative.  If it's worth writing a letter, I want to
have all the facts before I go yelling "You can take my firewall, but
ye'll never take...my freedom!!!" :)

Many thanks,
jenn



Sean Kilpatrick said:
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> On Sunday 30 March 2003 12:01 pm, Joshua Kirk wrote:
>> Well, I guess I have been lurking long enough. The Bill in question is
>> House Bill 867 of the 2003- 2004 Legislative Year.
>
>
> Here is the URL for the bill's text:
>
> http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2003_04/search/hb867.htm
>
> This thing is so poorly written it is hard to figure out
> the unintended consequences.
> For starters it appears to be aimed at illegal cable boxes.
> But it also contains language that strikes against the
> "fair use" doctrine and would make illegal any software that
> circumvents copy protection schemes on _any_ electronic
> media.  I believe that under this bill/law you would
> not be able to make a tape copy of a CD you legally own to play
> that music in your car.  I also do not think you would be
> legally able to make an oog file of music from a lawfully
> purchased CD to play on your computer.
>
> But please remember: IANAL
>
> Later this week I will print the damn mess out and attempt
> to deconstruct the language so I can figure out what it really
> says.
>
> Sean
>
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