Defending right to rip and burn

["Hamaker, Chuck" <cahamake@email.uncc.edu>]

http://digitalmass.boston.com/news/globe_tech/upgrade/2002/0415.html
Defending right to rip and burn
By Hiawatha Bray, 04/15/02

In one corner, we find Mickey Mouse and the whole Walt Disney Co.
menagerie backing federal legislation that would make it nearly impossible
for people to do music and video copying on their computers. sinp Last
week, computer maker Gateway Inc...Struck back with a low-key TV
commercial and an Internet site designed to rouse the fury of millions of
computer users.

snip

Hilary Rosen, president of the Recording Industry Association of America,
calls the company's Web site "a gateway to misinformation" and even
suggests Gateway favors illegal copying of music because it helps the
company sell more CD burners

snip

Williams(Gateway dir. of communications )stressed that Gateway is not in
favor of pirated music."More than illegal, it's wrong," he said. "If you
like a musician's music, you should support them." He even said that
Gateway would be willing to build some kind of anti-piracy device into its
PCs, if one can be developed that allows consumers to freely copy legally
purchased disks and downloads.

snip

Gateway is the first company to try to rally opposition from ordinary
computer users. "We really got the sense that not a lot of people were
aware of this," said Williams. "We wanted to go to consumers and let them
know that some of the things that they've taken for granted are on the
verge of being taken away."

--end--