With respect to home recording, what was the main purpose of the DMCA?
As originally drafted by the Clinton Administration, the DMCA could have required home recording, viewing and listening products to respond to any “technical measure” added to a program by a copyright holder – even if this would have blocked or degraded viewing or listening, or prevented all home recording. HRRC and our allies intervened to limit the scope to more closely approximate the original scope of the treaty, which was external “circumvention” of technical measures that were already effective, rather than their imposition through a design mandate.
