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From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.tv,net.legal
Subject: Re: Satellite dish cleanup : Technical Practicalities
Message-ID: <385@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Aug-84 00:03:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: vortex.385
Posted: Thu Aug 23 00:03:05 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Aug-84 03:27:12 EDT
References: <705@security.uucp>
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 29

Simply saying "signals must be encrypted if they are to be considered
protected by law" doesn't make much sense.  HOW encrypted?  Short of
extremely expensive systems (some now in use, but generally far too
expensive for homes) nearly any system could be cracked given
enough time, which would force escalation to ever more expensive and
complex systems.  This would all have to be paid for by the subscribers,
all to protect the "idea rights" of the transmissions from a bunch
of people who feel "they" are better than everyone else and don't
need to pay for what everyone else pays for.

However, the bottom line is much more basic.  In our society, we have
laws to provide certain protections and penalties.  If a burglar
came through your house and stole your TV and was caught carrying
it off, would the case be dismissed if you had not locked your house
securely?  If a thief takes your car because you left the keys inside,
and is caught, does he get to keep the car because you (stupidly
to be sure) left your keys in there?  If you're mugged on the street,
is a valid defense for the mugger in court that you didn't make an
adequate effort to defend yourself?  OF COURSE NOT.

Of course, it would have been better in all these cases if the crooks
didn't have such an easy time, but that doesn't change the fact that
idea, property, and personal rights are protected by law
in any case.  The idea rights of the programming on cable and radio
transmission systems are certainly worth the same protections as
we would give any more "physical" items.  It is silly to say
that something cannot be protected simply because "you can't touch it."

--Lauren--