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Cory Doctorow on Digital Rights Management
VerdeRana writes "I just heard the EFF's Cory Doctorow give this fantastic argument critiquing DRM. He makes a great case for why DRM is bad for society, business, and artists, why it simply don't work, and why Microsoft (the audience for this talk) should not invest in it. Broadcast this far and wide, and maybe someone will listen."
In case you don't know, Doctorow is the author of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (available for free), a great book which explores a sort of utopian future where the economy is no longer scarcity based and reputation is everything. Interestingly, if there's anything that's sure to kill any chance of our transitioning to an abundance-based society, it's DRM.
If you are a remixer, you can either get permission (as there is no use in commercially non-viable material) or use a non-DRM artist. You can make all the records you want, just don't use other people's hard work in your own without permission. If you remixed my work and got a record deal without my consent, I'd sure as hell be pissed about it.
A blog like any other.
Consumers are not being told which devices do and which don't contain DRM and therefore there is no opportunity for marketplace discipline to occur. By the time consumers understand what is happening, every new device will have DRM and it will be too late to "vote with your dollars."
I recently saw a full-page ad in the Boston Globe for a Gateway (remember? the company that ran TV ads a year ago saying they support my fair-use rights to music) for something called a Media Center PC. My wife was interested and asked me to look into it. Go here and click on "What can I do with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004" and it says:
"Watch your favorite shows, whenever you want. Record a single episode or capture an entire series. You can also watch a previously recorded show while recording a live TV program. With the new Media Center 2004, you're able to record a TV show directly to a DVD so you can start your own DVD collection or take it on the road and watch it late."
Only if you go here , click on ">FAQ" and scroll way down do you learn some relevant details:
"Media Center uses a new file format called DVR-MS... Q. Can the file format used by Media Center be changed? A. No... Q. Can [they] be converted to another video format? A. At this time, [no]. Q. Can I edit Recorded TV files? A. Currently, [no].
Q. Does Windows® Movie Maker support the Media Center file format? A. [Not at this time]."
"Q. What is content protection and how is it used by Media Center? A. Content owners and/or broadcasters can set copy protection flags to indicate that a program is subject to content protection. When Media Center detects that this flag is set, it will protect the content by limiting the ability to copy and distribute the program. Q. Can protected Recorded TV files be watched on another PC? A. No... Q. Can protected Recorded TV files be played back on the same Media Center PC using Media Player 9 or other DirectShow-enabled applications? A. No... Q.
Can I record a TV show to my hard drive and then to a DVD using my DVD-R and play it on my home DVD player? A. No..."
Since few programs are currently using the broadcast flag, few consumers will discover these limitations either before they buy it or during the period when they could conceivably return it. DRM is currently in stealth mode. Like a virus that doesn't release its payload until it has infected many PCs, over the next five years millions of consumers will buy devices with DRM and not even know it. Then, suddenly, media companies will start turning on their protection flags and it will be too late to do anything about it.
When I asked direct questions to Gateway representatives about whether I could "use it like a VCR or DVD recorder to record my favorite shows on DVDs" they assured me that I could. Essentially the reps seemed to know about the "what you can do" paragraph I quoted above, but not about the "funny file format" and "content protection" issues I summarized below.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
...or at least misleading.
You can de-authorize computers to play Apple Protected AAC's and thus authorize any different computer. So if you upgrade a computer you can de-authorize the old one and authorize the new one at no penalty.
Other then that the article seems right on though.
--- Nothing To See Here ---
You don't see it???
let me simplify
"He makes a great case for why DRM...simply don't work... "
Still don't see it?
It should say, "He makes a great case for why DRM is bad for society, business, and artists, why it simply doesn't work"
no thats not all.
When creating a list of items separated by commas, one should strive it insure that the items have similar meanings.
Quoth the Grammar outlaw
The list above contains the structures
- society
- business
- artists
- why it simply don't work
- why Microsoft (the audience for this talk) should not invest in it
There is no "pleasing symmetry" amongst those ideas when expressed in that form.
what you say?
No this isn't minutia. This is important. Mr. VerdeRana want us to go and spread this messaage far and wide. If we were to spread the above message we'd come off looking like buffoons.
English: It's not just a good idea, it's a language.
Three days ago I was modded down to Troll simply for posting this list of Miscrosoft's DRM subscribers. The topic was convergence, how devices are all going to work together, so it seemed important to point out that MS DRM is already widely adopted.
.
Supporters of Microsoft DRM
* Content companies America Online Inc., The Disney Co. and OD2
* Service providers CinemaNow Inc., Movielink LLC, MusicNow LLC, Napster LLC, VirginMega France and Yacast
* Consumer electronic device manufacturers Archos SA, Creative, Dell Inc., Digital 5 Inc., iRiver International, PRISMIQ Inc., PURE Digital, Rio, Samsung Electronics Company Ltd., SimpleDevices Inc. and 2Wire Inc.
* Chip makers BridgeCo AG, Equator Technologies Inc., Imagination Technologies, Micronas, Motorola Inc., Sigma Designs Inc. and SigmaTel Inc.
* HP
This is not true. The difference is between one copyrighted work (the song) and another (the performance). As an artist I can perform any song I like, by paying the appropriate fee. I can also record said performance and sell it, again no one can stop me provided I pay the fee.
However, I _cannot_ make a copy of someone else's performance. The performance (i.e. a CD or record) is NOT covered by the blanket exemption/compulsory license schemes (except for broadcasters etc). So a remixer MUST get permission, likewise even a sample must be licensed.
(BTW: I used to work in a dance record label, we spent a lot of time trying to get sample clearance!).
---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"