Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms: DMCA (Digital Millennium CopyrightAct)
DMCA (Digital Millennium CopyrightAct)
a controversial law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998 designed to secure copyright protection of digital works.
Critics argue that the DMCA is badly flawed. It prohibits people from experimenting to learn exactly how certain software works even when that software is running on their own computers, and unlike all earlier copyright laws, the DMCA enables copyright owners to block people from reading and viewing material that they possess, not just copying from and redistributing it.
