Appeals court hands free speech victory to poster of DVD cracking code

Monday, April 12, 2004 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: information freedom, free speech, keep the Internet free

In a rare victory for Internet free speech, a California appeals court reversed an order barring Andrew Bunner from posting DVD cracking code on his web site. This is an important victory for free speech on the web, because it helps affirm the right of individuals to freely post information that threatens the commercial interests of other parties. In reality, the DVD cracking code wasn't copyrighted at all, and the "copyright" argument by the DVD Copy Control Association was groundless. The real issue was the protection of profits. And the real question was, "Do individuals have the right to post information on their websites that may harm the financial interests of corporations?"

In a free society, the obvious answer to that question should be a resounding YES! Free Speech should protect our right to post information that challenges the motives and financial positions of any organization. The Internet is the place where people can freely exchange ideas and opinions, and today there's a dangerous trend towards outlawing certain links or certain content.

Web sites that post information questioning the severity and degree of the Holocaust, for example, are routinely labeled "hate sites" regardless of their approach. Sites questioning the legitimacy of the Bush Presidency have been called "information terrorism" sites. And, of course, there's the inevitable "politically incorrect" label used to disparage any site that uses language that's too direct, too blunt, or too close to the truth to be comfortable to some readers.

The only way to keep our society free is to encourage the free flow of ideas and opinions: even ones we don't agree with. If we, as a nation, censor online content, we only darken the minds of ourselves and future generations. The Internet, in fact, is the last free medium left on the planet. Keep the Internet free.