According to Rulemaking on Exemptions from Prohibition on Circumvention of Technological Measures that Control Access to Copyrighted Works there are four classes of works whose copyrights copy protection we’re allowed to do a technological end run around [Thanks to Matt Morse for the correction]:

(1) Compilations consisting of lists of Internet locations blocked by commercially marketed filtering software applications that are intended to prevent access to domains, websites or portions of websites… [many qualifications follow]

(2) Computer programs protected by dongles that prevent access due to malfunction or damage and which are obsolete.

(3) Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and which require the original media or hardware as a condition of access.

(4) Literary works distributed in ebook format when all existing ebook editions of the work (including digital text editions made available by authorized entities) contain access controls that prevent the enabling of the ebook’s read-aloud function and that prevent the enabling of screen readers to render the text into a specialized format.

Unfortunately, I lack the cryptographic key that would allow me to understand this, but it sure sounds like these are too few and too random. [Thanks to Mark Dionne for the link.]

Categories: Uncategorized dw