DMCA myths (Score 1)

I'm always amazed at the amount of people who misunderstand the DMCA. In this case, the ESA was not asking that the site be taken down because of a "DMCA violation." It was asking that it be taken down because of a copyright violation. The only reason the DMCA comes into play is because it provides the ISP with a safe harbor if they promply remove the potentially-infringing material. In other words, the DMCA actually helps free speach on the internet by providing ISP's with a defense against contributory copyright infringement. Without the DMCA, every ISP with a clue would require everyone post a large bond before providing web space.