From Section 1201 to Article 13
Interview with Bill Rosenblatt
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Garage door openers. Laser printer toner cartridges. Mobile phones. And finally, online media from news to music. Quick – what do they all have in common?
If you answered, “Section 1201,” then you know your DMCA – the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
A 1998 United States copyright law, the DMCA has far-reaching powers that stretch from giant Internet Service Providers like Google and Facebook to individuals. Section 1201, for example, makes it unlawful to circumvent technological measures, including Digital Rights Management applications, that are used to prevent unauthorized access to copyrighted works.
As digital technology has moved over the last two decades from the Web and into our phones and homes, Section 1201 came to apply to devices and activities unanticipated in the 1990s. Recently, the US Copyright Office has streamlined its process for allowing exemptions to Section 1201. The changes made were greeted warmly by consumers and tech providers.
At the 2019 Copyright & Technology Conference coming to New York City’s Fordham University School of Law on January 16, US Copyright Office General Counsel Regan Smith will share inside details on the new Section 1201 exemptions. Conference organizer Bill Rosenblatt gives CCC’s Chris Kenneally a preview of the tenth annual event, from Section 1201 to Article 13, and from blockchain to the Music Modernization Act.
