Broadcast Flag: Yippee!

You know this is a major issue for me and I've blogged it a lot. Friday a Federal Appeals Court vacated the BF ruling the FCC made a year or so ago. I was out when I heard it, and yesterday was crazy. But I just wanted to say, this totally rocks! Thank goodness!

And here is Ernie Miller's explanation of what the BF is about:

For those who are unfamiliar with the Broadcast Flag, it was ... it was a regulation promulgated by the FCC at the request of Hollywood that would have required all HDTV receivers to incorporate certain copy controls. Starting this July, all HDTV receivers sold in the US would be required to enforce restrictions on copying HDTV broadcasts that were tagged with the "Broadcast Flag." Although you might be able to record HDTV shows, you wouldn't be able to make additional copies for personal use (such as watching in another room) without a lot of hassle, if it was possible at all, not to mention taking a copy to watch at a friend's house. The ramifications of this authority grab by the FCC were enormous, since it would have, among other things, essentially given them the power to control significant aspects of the design of anything capable of using HDTV signals, i.e., modern PCs.