Baby monitors, talking dog collars and musical car horns are
among devices that will be unwittingly caught by the Consumer
Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (CBDTPA), a proposed
US law that will force the manufacturers to incorporate
anti-copying technology, according to a Princeton professor.
Professor Ed Felten has created a web site listing digital
products that would be unjustifiably regulated under the proposed
law. The CBDTPA will force all "digital media devices" sold in the
US to either incorporate government-approved anti-copying
technology or to have government approval before introduction to
the market.
Any company or consumer attempting to interfere with the
anti-copying measures risks a prison sentence of up to five years
and a fine of up to $500,000.
The proposed law defines "digital media devices" as any hardware
or software that can reproduce copyrighted works in a digital form.
Consumer groups have claimed that not only computers and TV sets,
but also electronic toys, e-books and just about any piece of
electronic equipment that consumers or businesses use would fall
within the scope of the law.
Professor Felten adds to this: he says digital baby monitors,
cockpit voice recorders, talking dog collars, musical car horns and
digital church bells could be "caught" by the proposed law, since
they all include storage features.
The proposed CBDTPA can be found at:
www.eff.org/IP/SSSCA_CBDTPA/20020321_s2048_cbdtpa_bill.pdf
Professor Felten's list can be viewed at:
www.freedom-to-tinker.com/archives/cat_fritzs_hit_list.html
