Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Father of MPEG Replies To Jobs On DRM

Posted by kdawson on from the way-forward dept.

marco_marcelli writes with a link to the founder and chairman of MPEG, Leonardo Chiariglione, replying to Steve Jobs on DRM and TPM. After laying the groundwork by distinguishing DRM from digital rights protection, Chiariglione suggests we look to GSM as a model of how a fully open and standardized DRM stack enabled rapid worldwide adoption. He gently reminds Jobs (and us) that there exists a reference implementation of such a DRM stack — Chillout — that would be suitable for use in the music business.

12 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. Completely Moot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It has already been established that DRM is bad. It doesn't work and it hurts everybody.

    So frankly, who cares about this small part of Jobs' argument?

    His main point -- that there shouldn't be DRM -- is correct.

    1. Re:Completely Moot by truthsearch · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Another big influence in the market thinks differently. According to Microsoft: "Our view is it's our job to provide the technology and the content providers can tell us what kind of restrictions and policies they want to apply to that."

      So Microsoft could choose to go a more flexible route with DRM. That might change the market. But I think we all know that's not going to happen.

      --
      Developers: We can use your help.
    2. Re:Completely Moot by Zeinfeld · · Score: 5, Interesting
      The way to express it to the suits is "DRM hurts your sales." I think that was the real thrust of Jobs's argument, that music companies could stand to expand their market presence immeasurably if only they promoted interoperability and ease of use--and that's just impossible as long as they insist on DRM.

      Jobs and Gates are essentially doing the same thing here. They both understand that DRM is pretty bogus, they are both supporting it since that is the only way to bring the content providers onboard at the moment.

      Having attended one of Leonardo's SDMI meetings I would not trust him as far as I could spit. He was the architect of the SDMI fiasco. I have no confidence in either his technical or his political skills.

      Incidentally the title father of MPEG is somewhat overblown.

      --
      Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
      Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
    3. Re:Completely Moot by arose · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Different permissions on music bought from the same store are going to be confusing for both consumers and music labels.
      You certainly don't want to confuse customers with all that freedom, why, they might start asking why they can't do all the nice things with all tracks they buy. And we wouldn't want them to learn about the evils of DRM, no sir, they should just think thats the way the world now works.
      --
      Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
    4. Re:Completely Moot by shmlco · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "If Jobs realized that it couldn't be successful without DRM and he really believed DRM was bad, he would have decided against opening the store in the first place.

      Or he could, you know, like, open the store and let the MARKET decide how they felt about it.

      Being "consistent" would have removed OUR choice in the matter. It's one thing to get on your high horse and make a decision. It's quite another to do so and assume that what you're doing is right for everyone else. For example, I've no doubt that a pro-life individual would be happy to stand up and make your decsion for you in that matter, but that ignores you right to choose for yourself.

      Further, consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. Steve could well have accepted the idea that DRM is a neccessary evil and now, after years of actually running the business that's the iTMS and seeing the results, decided that it's no longer needed.

      I "expect" people to be able to look at the world and have the wisdom and courage to change their minds if needed.

      --
      Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
  2. As a wireless/microwave engineer by LM741N · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Despite disliking DRM, GSM is the most sophisticated communications protocol that I have ever seen. I have read the standard (dispite getting a headache in 5 minutes) and it is totally locked down using encryption, session keys, etc. Perhaps I am in error, but I doubt the standard itself has ever been cracked- unless via law enforcement with the complicity of the companies involved.

    Yet it is the most widely used wireless personal communication standard in the world. Woe are the hackers and crackers who try to attact it directly. But like any encrypted system, the weak points usually lie elsewhere. Those would be the point of attack.

    1. Re:As a wireless/microwave engineer by Mr.+Shiny+And+New · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Looks like the implementations of GSM encryption are known to be weak:

      http://www.gsm-security.net/faq/gsm-a3-a8-comp128- broken-security.shtml

    2. Re:As a wireless/microwave engineer by iamacat · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I don't know if you would call 40 bit encryption a lockdown, especially since it doesn't protect your conversation from the phone company, even if you are calling the other person with a GSM phone. Furthermore, they weaken or turn off encryption in most countries. Sounds like a typical effect of a DRM scheme on users all right.

  3. They are scared. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The content industry wants one universal DRM. Everyone thought that would be MS and they were happy. When Apple won the battle, they were not happy. What you are seeing by calls for Apple to license their DRM is this frustration made public and an attempt to allow MS to embrace, extend and extinguish Fairplay. Jobs called their bluff and they realize they just may well be fucked on this. Interesting times.

  4. The issue isn't DRM, it's greed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If music were priced at its real cost plus the same small profit that all other manufacturing enjoys, it would cost $1.00 an album. After all, production costs have already been recouped for 99.9% of popular music, hundreds of times over for anything in the top 40.

    And with such low pricing, people wouldn't even think twice about buying every new album that comes out in their genre. Youngsters have no money anyway, so asking them to cough up inflated prices is just completely ridiculous, and counterproductive since kids create much of the music buzz. They'll eventually purchase all the CDs that they really appreciate once they've grown up anyway --- just have patience!

    You wouldn't need DRM not only because very low cost would make non-market acquisition pointless, but also because everybody would have all the music they want --- there would be nothing left to copy, in one's area of interest!

    [The argument that pricing music logically would make new music cost hundreds of dollars per album is bollocks: like in all industries, development of a new product should be funded from past profits, and amortized across projected future sales. Music should be no exception, and the fact that currently the income from sales of age-old music is pure untouched profit and not reinvested to fund new production just shows the extent to which greed has distorted the music industry.]

    DRM is only an issue today because of the artificial scarcity created by artifically high pricing --- greed.

  5. Re:What's with the Pro DRM Articles? by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Based on many past threads and discussions- you are making a bit of an overstatement.

    Lots of people here are anti-drm / information wants to be free. In varies from the college student being as ethical as they can afford to be (buy a few CD's and then pirate the rest when they run out of money) to the folks who have absolutely no respect for copyright to people like me that have no respect for the extended copyright periods that I feel were bought by media companies (If it's over 28 years old, I'll pirate away unless i can get it for a *reasonable* price).

    For example: I put down $200 smackers five seasons for get smart. On the other hand I ahoy'd some 1960-1966 comics in cdisplay format vs paying $50 for them in hardback format. I'll also download things so I can take them on a trip with me- for example I downloaded Moulin Rouge (which I own on DVD) because I wanted to take it with me and not risk losing my original.

    I have a problem with DRM period. I think we have a temporary window where these products are grossly overpriced. I completely disagree that an "artist" should get paid for the rest of their life for a song when the rest of the world gets paid by the hour. The purpose of copyright is not to provide artists/ creators retirement but to encourage them to create works for the public. Given how many artists there are striving to create entertainment today- I really doubt they need any more encouragement.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  6. Open letter to Steve Jobs by eebra82 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Did anyone read the open letter to Steve Jobs over at the Inquirer?

    http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37 522

    --
    Full Tilt