[Politech] Annalee Newitz on black markets in circumvention devices [ip]

From: Declan McCullagh (declan@private)
Date: Thu Jan 01 2004 - 21:53:31 PST

  • Next message: Declan McCullagh: "[Politech] Barbra Streisand loses suit against californiacoastline.org [fs][priv]"

    ---
    
    Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 15:39:55 -0800 (PST)
    From: Annalee Newitz <brainsploitation@private>
    Subject: black market in circumvention devices
    To: declan@private
    
    Hi Declan. Thought the politech list might be
    interested in my latest article about how the DMCA is
    creating a thriving black market in circumvention
    devices and pirated software. Among other people, I
    interviewed a very interesting (though naive) guy in
    Silicon Valley who has set up a shop in his garage to
    do illegal mods on Xboxes and PS2s. Here's the first
    bit:
    
    High-tech black market
    Copyright infringement is a criminal offense. Meet the
    new generation of geek outlaws and heroes. By Annalee
    Newitz
    
    IT WAS AFTER midnight on a San Francisco street
    popular with young hipsters. Groups of glittery girls
    and boys with 1960s protomullets slid past homeless
    people too tired to beg for money. As my friends and I
    rounded a corner, we heard a shuffle and a soft cough.
    A man huddled in a doorway full of shadow, his arms
    curled protectively around a cardboard box so old that
    its edges had gone soft and fuzzy.
    
    "Want to buy some records?" he croaked. "I've got
    really good old stuff."
    
    I paused, uncertain. He paused, too.
    
    Then, in a voice so low I thought he might be talking
    to himself, he muttered, "I've got some software, too.
    You want to buy some software?"
    
    That got my attention. It was the first time anyone
    had ever offered to sell me pirated software on the
    street. In New York City the streets are packed with
    people selling crappy pirated DVDs of new movies, but
    I had never heard of people doing the same thing with
    software programs.
    
    "What do you have?" I asked.
    
    http://www.sfbg.com/38/11/cover_hightech.html
    
    =====
    Annalee Newitz
    tech * pop * sex
    415.487.2559 - cell: 415.378.4498
    www.techsploitation.com
    
    __________________________________
    Do you Yahoo!?
    New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
    http://photos.yahoo.com/
    _______________________________________________
    Politech mailing list
    Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
    Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Jan 01 2004 - 22:38:20 PST