You may not realize it, but you encounter some sort of intellectual property (IP) every day. It's even more likely that you've never considered how freely you use that IP. But what would life be like if all of the sudden, your use of that IP was restricted or taken away? Here are some practical examples of uses IP that some have tried to restrict in recent years. What if...

• You had to receive express permission to use a your brand of TV, VCR, or TiVo with your cable television service? How about if your Internet service only allowed you to buy certain approved computers or software? Consider what would happen if, as a result of the devices you used, you could be thrown in jail. A group of bills that would do exactly that (the SDMCAs) were actually introduced and passed in a number of states.

• The new digital television you bought refused to work with your old VCR. What if your current stereo receiver refused to play the music coming from your new digital TV as well? What if the DVD you burned of your child's favorite television cartoon wouldn't play in your mini-van? And what would you think if the government mandated that all of these new digital devices refused to work with your old, but compatible, ones? This scheme and technology is called the Broadcast Flag and it has already been approved and required by the FCC in future digital television products.

• You ran out of ink in your printer cartridge and went to the store to buy a new one. At the store you found that there were a number of expensive cartridges sold by the printer manufacturer, as well as alternative compatible cartridges sold by a third party manufacturer for significantly less money. Not noticing a difference, you buy the less expensive model, which serves you well. The next time you run out of ink, you return to the store hoping to buy the same inexpensive cartridge, only to find that the manufacturer went out of business despite the popularity of the product. This hypothetical is not necessarily fiction. Manufacturers are suing competitors and critics claiming copyright violations--seemingly irrespective of the intent of the law. This has already occurred with printer cartridges, computer backup software, computer voting machines, universal garage door openers, and is anticipated to happen to after-market automotive parts.

• The music you purchased and legally downloaded from one service wouldn't play on your device of choice, because of copy-protection? Software that decrypts the copy-protection to convert the music you legally obtained may be currently illegal. The law that makes it illegal is known as the DMCA, or the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

The significance of it all is that, on a daily basis, your rights are being threatened everyday. Public Knowledge's goal is to fight for your rights and aims to keep you well informed.