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Rewrite and wordsmith this paragraph.

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Bradley M. Kuhn 2014-03-20 08:57:06 -04:00
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gpl-lgpl.tex
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@ -2590,20 +2590,21 @@ versions. This practice thwarts the expectations of developers and users
alike, because the right to modify is one of the core freedoms the GPL is
designed to secure.
Technological measures to defeat users' rights --- often described by such
Orwellian phrases as ``digital rights management,'' which actually means
limitation or outright destruction of users' legal rights, or ``trusted
computing,'' which actually means selling people computers they cannot trust
--- are alike in one basic respect. They all employ technical means to turn
the system of copyright law, where the powers of the copyright holder are
limited exceptions to general freedom, into a prison, where everything not
specifically permitted is utterly forbidden, and indeed, if the full extent
of their ambition is realized, would be technically impossible. This system
of ``para-copyright'' has been created since the adoption of GPLv2, through
legislation in the United States, the European Union, and elsewhere that
makes it a serious civil or even criminal offense to escape from these
restrictions, even where the purpose in doing so is to restore the users'
legal rights that the technology wrongfully prevents them from exercising.
Technological measures to defeat users' rights. These measures are often
described by such Orwellian phrases, such as ``digital rights management,''
which actually means limitation or outright destruction of users' legal
rights, or ``trusted computing,'' which actually means selling people
computers they cannot trust. However, these measures are alike in one basic
respect. They all employ technical means to turn the system of copyright law
(where the powers of the copyright holder are limited exceptions to general
freedom) into a virtual prison, where everything not specifically permitted
is utterly forbidden. This system of ``para-copyright'' was created well
after GPLv2 was written --- initially through legislation in the USA and the
EU, and later in other jurisdictions as well. This legislation creates
serious civil or even criminal penalties to escape from these restrictions
(commonly and aptly called ``jail-breaking a device''), even where the
purpose in doing so is to restore the users' legal rights that the technology
wrongfully prevents them from exercising.
% FIXME: Remove FSF specific parts