[free-sklyarov] voices screaming with maniacal laughter (was: Re: locking up books)

[Lars Gaarden]

Paul Gowder wrote:

> Raised to a more amusingly extreme level: There's a little strange voice 
> in my head that says "what would happen if a bunch of hackers [or even 
> civil libertarian software engineers... ] were to spend their time 
> exposing/breaking weak encryption, but, rather than simply do it 
> anonymously, 'encrypt' their identities behind ROT-13 or some such... 
> rot... such that, at the very moment the software company target files 
> suit against the doeishly innocent cryptographer, they confess their own 
> violation of the very same act, with hopefully offsetting damages, and 
> -- get this -- for financial advantage! (to protect their market for the 
> flawed product), hence subjecting them to criminal prosecution as well!"
> 
> Too cute?
> 
> Watch there's an exception in the DMCA somewhere I don't know about 
> making this impossible.  Never actually read it from start to finish.


This is at best somewhat-offtopic, but anyway. :)

There is an exception for law enforcement.

So, it would be illegal for Adobe to decrypt the author's name but
it is legal for the police to do so.


-- 
LarsG