In an important decision today, the Library of Congress announced that key uses of digital media are no longer violations of the "Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA)". The DMCA provides that the Library of Congress may exempt specific practices, during 3-year reviews of the law's effect on fair use.
Two exemptions in particular are of interest in education (see the Library of Congress link above for the exact text of the decision).
- DVDs can be legally copied (or "ripped" in the technical jargon) provided the copying is limited to short portions, and that the use is educational, documentary, or noncommercial.
- Literary works in electronic book format that are only available in editions that are locked to prevent "read aloud" or screen-readers for the blind can legally have the locks circumvented (or "cracked" in the jargon).
