Final answer:
The DMCA prohibits the circumvention of technical measures meant to protect copyrighted works. Copyright provides legal protection for original works of authorship, and the DMCA reinforces these protections against the illegal bypassing of technological safeguards.
Step-by-step explanation:
The DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) prohibits circumvention of any technical measures put in place to protect copyrighted works. Copyright is a form of legal protection to prevent copying, for commercial purposes, original works of authorship, which encompasses a wide array of creations including books, music, and various other art forms. Under copyright law, no one can reproduce, display, or perform a copyrighted work without the author's permission. The protection ordinarily extends for the life of the author plus 70 years posthumously.
It's important to note that while copyright provides a strong legal defense against unauthorized use, the No Additional Restrictions clause in certain licenses indicates that one may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. However, the DMCA specifically targets those who bypass technological safeguards intended to prevent such unauthorized uses. In the landmark case MGM Studios v. Grokster (2005), the Supreme Court held that companies distributing file-sharing software that enabled copyright infringement could themselves be held liable.