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New Euro law could make criminals of us all
Rupert Goodwins

ZDNet UK
August 05, 2003, 10:00 BST

Welcome, European citizen, to a new world of criminality -- a world where you’re the star. The IP Enforcement Directive, a proposed new law from the EU, has been attracting some attention from the usual quarters. In particular, the sainted Ross Anderson of Cambridge University has rolled out a masterly analysis of the threat to many of our accepted civil liberties and commercial freedoms. Yet even a cursory readthrough reveals much to be worried about. ...

...You want to change the tyres on your 2006 model Ford Prefect? Anything other than genuine Ford tyres -- with the genuine Ford ID chip -- will disable your car. Your Sony MP3-playing nasal hair trimmer will only work with genuine Sony batteries: don’t even think about trying to make alternatives, because that’ll make you a criminal. And no, you can’t buy those jeans -- the RFID chip in the label says they’re only for sale in America. By the way, the same RFID chips on the clothes you are allowed to buy may well be radiating all manner of things about your location: you’re not allowed to find out for yourself, as possession of an unlicensed receiver is a criminal act....