USAF Violates DMCA, Escapes Unscathed 458
eldavojohn recommends coverage at Ars on a Byzantine case just thrown out by an appeals court. The US Air Force cracked the code that would expire a piece of software. For this they were sued under the DMCA in Blueport v. United States. The Court of Federal Claims heard it and threw it out. "The reasoning behind the decisions focuses on the US government's sovereign immunity, which the court describes thusly: 'The United States, as [a] sovereign, "is immune from suit save as it consents to be sued... and the terms of its consent to be sued in any court define that court's jurisdiction to entertain the suit."' ... 'The DMCA itself contains no express waiver of sovereign immunity,' the judge wrote, 'Indeed, the substantive prohibitions of the DMCA refer to individual persons, not the Government.'"
Re:What's the fuss? (Score:5, Funny)
I'm betting his next review board doesn't go so well.
Ahem (Score:4, Funny)
*rimshot*
Re:What's the fuss? (Score:1, Funny)
Listing 2 ports out of 65,535 is the best you can do?
As tech support for the teleport is crap, I suggest you take your passport, report to the airport, and deport yourself via transport from the heliport.
Re:What's the fuss? (Score:5, Funny)
Google must be shitting themselves.
Guess who Batman (Score:5, Funny)
Let me get this straight: You think that your client, one of the largest, most powerful airforces in the world, is hacking your software. And your plan is to blackmail these people? Good luck.
Re:What's the fuss? (Score:5, Funny)
The fact that he was nasty or not has nothing to do with the DMCA violation. If someone broke the law then he broke the law, no matter that by breaking the law he uncovered some other criminal act. You can not break and enter so that you can prove that your neighbour is running some extortion racket. The police can, if they have a proper authorisation from a judge, but you can not. If you do, you might go to jail while your neighbour might actually walk.
Now the government clearly stated that they are above the law; they are the sovereign, they make the law and the law applies only to their royal subjects, serfs and lesser vermins also known as "the people". This system is known as democracy. It is in stark contrast with the system of tyranny, where there is a tyrant, a sovereign making the law that only applies to his royal subjects, serfs and other vermins also known as the "oppressed".
Re:It's good to be king... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:It's good to be king... (Score:2, Funny)
Doesn't a Republic always lead to an Empire?
Maybe we'll get cool white plastic uniforms!
To sum: (Score:3, Funny)
Guy hates the software he uses at work.
Guy learns to program.
Guy hands out free copies of superior program at work and everyone loves it.
Program cripples itself after trial period.
Guy: A ha! Now you have to pay me money to get it working again!
USAF: A ha! We're the Government you moron.
Re:It's good to be king... (Score:3, Funny)
Dammit, after we've spent all this money having our military teach our troops how to hit the broad side of a barn ...
Re:It's good to be king... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:It's good to be king... (Score:3, Funny)
Dude, if your neighborhood has 50 people, and 48 of them want to kill you and eat you, that's democracy.
Oh my God! The dead have risen and they're voting Republican!