10-10-2010, 05:55 PM
Spock wrote:
Isn't it time that Fair Use was codified in law...
Actually, the problem is precisely that fair use was codified in the 1976 Copyright Act.
Before then, fair use was an equitable principle broadly applied in the interest of justice and fair play.
Once it was codified, it became subject to rigid interpretation and it could be weakened by amending the language of the section or by other subsequent legislation such as the DMCA.
It's way too late to let the cat back out of the rapidly-submerging bag, but striking fair use from the copyright code has been on my wish list for many years.