Availiable Online.

Evaluation and Summary:

A landmark amendment to the United States Copyright Act, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998 stresses the importance of continued protection of content as technology advances at a dizzying pace. The implementation of the DMCA changed the business landscape of several industries, including music, video, and publishing as content providers raced to protect their digitized products. The most talked about and undoubtedly most important section in the act demanded an end to security cracks and hacks. Section 1201 clearly states "No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title;" later in Article 12, the DMCA further restricts the removal of rights management protection, the copying and distribution of "cracked" content, and the creation of any means of illegal digital copying. Other protections included in the DMCA implement the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (which establish regulations for international works published in the U.S. and U.S. works published abroad); establishes of exceptions for non-profit libraries, archives, educational institutions, and researchers; requests for the Copyright Office to research the effects of the act, its exemptions on access and development; limitations of liability for internet service providers, and the possibilities of distance education; allows the copying of computer software for maintenance and repair; allows "ephemeral recordings" which permit a radio station to burn cds of songs to allow for ease of broadcast; establishes transferral of payment repsonsibilities to distributers of movies when producers can no longer pay writers, actors, and directors; and (oddly enough) protections for boat hull designs.