I'll Take Those Rights, Thanks

In 1998 the DMCA was signed into law. That's Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It's unpopular with podcasters, normal people, librarians and free speech advocates, but oh so popular with Media companies. So by the rest of us, not well-liked. Still it is the law of the land (and it got through the Senate with unanimous approval!) so we are obligated to play by those rules.

Say you're a lawmaker who wants to distribute an ad which whips up phony outrage over a comment your rival for public office made. You slap together some out of context footage, pad it out with some other stuff, and call it "Lipstick." Guess what? CBS can make you pull it down, if you use footage of Katie Couric without getting clearance first.

McCain, who was IN THE SENATE at the time when the DMCA passed, and hopefully read the thing, has used the work of artists without obtaining their permission first 6 times in the course of this campaign. So what is it? End justify the means? Doesn't care about the rights of others? Naturally assumes everyone loves him? For a guy who has stopped talking to the press, with a running mate who hasn't yet started, relying on other people to get his message across is going to be stickier than he apparently thought.