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While out of context, and I in no mean comment on the mertis of the piece.

>Response: There is nothing unusual about the word “assist” in the law. Laws against assisting people in skirting rules and regulations are very common, for instance, in copyright and patent law.

Using the two of the most hated laws in hacker community as positive example is hardly a shortcut to make said community endorse the legislation.

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I would like to think that anyone who identifies as a hacker would be smart enough to realize that being opposed to current patent/copyright law does not mean you should be opposed to every legal concept used or referenced in patent/copyright law. That's like refusing to eat ketchup because you object to McDonald's.

The concept of «assisting copyright infringement» is not popular among those who identify as hacker. So in current context your argument is moot.

Of course, «correct representation of authorship under the authors' choice of names and pseudonyms» is a concept used in copyright law with a better reputation, in that case your argument would fully apply, of course.

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