SVP : More Video Anti-Copying Technology
rkroetch writes "NDS, STMicroelectronics and Thomson have announced they will develop a new anti-piracy technology called SVP (Secure Video Processor). This will require a special SVP processor in the box to play the encrypted video signal. All those licensing fees for our DVD-ROMs for nothing?"
How long is it going to take for some malaysian company to make a PCI card with the required chip on it?
I believe he's referring to licensing fees for the hardware and software encoding/decoding.
And you demonstrate so little understanding of copyright law, your response reeks of flamebait.
Both the summary here, and the article, call it anti-piracy technology.
But as long as only one isn't deterred
Of course. It's absurdly stupid of media companies to think they can actually contain piracy. After all, there only needs to be one determined person to make a copy and release it. Their only real success, generally speaking, is to make legitimately purchased media more encumbered and piracy more appealing.
On the other hand, look at it from a different perspective. If this stops non-perseverent people copying movies for their friends, in the eyes of the entertainment industry, isn't it worth it? That's the sort of success media companies expect inconvenience to bring.
Obviously, it's a terribly arrogant business model: very much like the Democrats after 2000 blaming Nader - that people's votes didn't need to be earned by the Democrats, that the left were merely obligated to spend them on Gore if other options were removed. Rather than giving anyone any real reason to actually buy movies, the entertainment industry scapegoat piracy and do nothing to actually woo buyers back. Voters, buyers; piracy, Nader. Very apt, actually.
Well, the first known use of the word 'pirate' to describe this sort of activity was in 1668, back in the 'golden age' of piracy, when it was much more notorious, and probably more common, than it is even now.
In fact, if the word were only being coined nowadays, it wouldn't be piracy, because that's not bad enough. It would be terrorism, because the coiner, one J. Hancock, really wanted to villify people who were selling his books without paying him. (Never mind that copyright law hadn't been created yet)
What he said, by the way, was: "Some dishonest Booksellers, called Land-Pirats, who make it their practise to steal Impressions of other mens Copies." It's in 'Brook's String of Pearls.'
-- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
This, despite protestations to the contrary, is NOT a new usage. The OED gives usage examples of piracy / pirate in the context of written works going back to the 17th century, with indications that usage existed even earlier.
:-p
Piracy as applied to radio goes back to at least 1913.
This is one term you CAN'T blame on the RIAA
(and I'd be happy to provide citations if you'd like)
FWIW, piracy as a term used to describe illegal copying of works goes back to the 1600's with written examples, and indications that the term had been adopted earlier. This is hardly a new term.
If the Thomson hardware is as crappily shitacular as the Thomson DVD drive in my XBox, we have nothing to worry about -- either it will fail to enable the copy protection scheme correctly, and movies will be watchable, or it won't let you watch *anything* -- in which case, the machines will be yet another failed technology on the trash heap.
What does it mean to wake out of a dream
and be wearing someone else's shorts?
BNL, Born on a Pirate Ship (1998)
Excuse me, but International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day isn't until September 19.
-I like my women like I like my tea: green-
Now would probably be an excellent time to remind you about Talk Like a Pirate Day - September 19, later this week.
Do you or your partner snore? - Visit www.snoring.com.au