Internet Archive has copyright problems

THE DIGITAL Millennium Copyright Act is proving a headache for those hoping to preserve software and data.

The US Internet Archive, which makes archival copies of software and data, said it was technically impossible to do its job because of the Act which forbids copying software.

Because the life of a magnetic disk is only 10 to 30 years, the Archive would have to copy the stuff every few years to preserve it which would be illegal.

This week the group announced on its site here that the Copyright Office has ordered a temporary exemption for the group's work.

While this allows the Archive to carry on its Stirling work, the decision is up for review in 2006. Hopefully by then the DMCA will have been extensively reviewed or repealed. µ