Earlier this year I wrote a column on technological protection measures, arguing that we should be thinking about protection from TPMs, rather than protection for TPMs. That view is echoed by several other professors in the In the Public Interest book, but has led to the responses from Graham Henderson and Barry Sookman, who claim that consumers actually benefit from TPMs through greater choice.
There is another voice that wants in on this debate — Walter Mossberg, the well-respected columnist for the Wall Street Journal (not exactly one of the so-called foot soldiers of those who argue for balanced copyright). Mossberg today tackles the TPM issue and, while sympathetic with infringement concerns, concludes his column by calling on consumers to boycott copy-protected CDs and urging lawmakers to provide legal protection from TPMs. Mossberg says "I believe Congress should rewrite the copyright laws to carve out a broad exemption for personal, noncommercial use by consumers, including sharing small numbers of copies among families."