No, paywall removers are generally not legal because they circumvent a technological barrier to access copyrighted material without permission, which is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and can be considered a form of theft or a violation of a website's terms of service. While the legal interpretation can vary depending on the interpretation of the law (e.g., requiring a nexus to infringement versus prohibiting circumvention itself), unauthorized access is a legal gray area at best and a violation at worst.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a U.S. copyright law that makes it illegal to bypass technological measures that control access to copyrighted works, such as software or DVDs
. It also protects internet service providers from liability for copyright infringement by their users if they meet certain requirements, and it establishes the process for copyright holders to issue takedown notices for infringing material found online. The DMCA was enacted in 1998 to address copyright in the digital age, criminalizing the unauthorized sharing of copyrighted works like movies, music, and software.
www.archivebuttons.com
