Precisely. The point is to make it necessary for you to testify that you turned the protection off in order to copy the data.
I, personally, am on the side of the developer straight down the line here, and I think that the people whining about this need to go take a cold shower.
It'd be real interesting to hear rms's opinion on this: do you violate the spec in the name of "freedom!!!", or do you respect the spec? I'm sure he'd say violate it... but I think that knocks just a little chink in his armor, myself.
We *need* people like rms, don't get me wrong.
Just like we need lawyers.
But that doesn't mean we should do everything either of them say to.