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How Important Is Protecting Streaming Media?
spaj writes "In the ongoing battle with the MPAA and RIAA, there seems to be an ongoing argument about who is to blame. If you leave a $20 bill on the sidewalk, can you report it stolen when someone takes it? Of course you can, but will you be taken seriously by the authorities? When my car was broken into, I was told by the responding police officer that I might have prevented it by keeping my seats and visible areas clear of junk that would entice criminals. So, who is at fault when it comes to users abusing their right to capture streaming media for personal use? According to Applian.com's Legal FAQ, the RIAA will not come after you if you make a recording for your own personal use. I have often been torn on this issue, and I am looking for input. Adobe recently released a new format of their widely used streaming protocol, RTMP, that includes 128-bit encryption (RTMPE). I can only interpret this as an attempt to prevent capturing of the streaming media content for personal use. However, Applian has already circumvented the RTMPE protection, and you can read about it on Adobe's forums, where some users seem quite dissatisfied that their content is not protected enough by Adobe's technology. I think the main question boils down to: Who is to blame? Can you blame Adobe for not making a better encryption? Or do you blame Applian for bypassing such security features? Or do you blame the authors of stolen content for leaving the security of their material in somebody else's hands?"
I blame the copyright holders for sticking their fingers in their ears and screaming about "protection" when what they mean is demanding perpetual control over how anyone ever uses the material.
The solution is: if you can take it, you can have it. This format has worked for me thus far, I see no reason why it needs changing.
That's who I blame for their false claims of ownership for something that cannot be owned, and their mad desire control it for a near infinite period of time. We steal nothing from them. We "lend" them this monopoly of control for a very limited time. And the greedy bastards want ever more. They are the ones stealing with their bought and paid for laws. It's time for them to realize that they are not special and deserve no special privileges. They must realize that each work is nothing more than an ad or promotion for their next work. It's time to bring them back to earth and have them do their work the same way the rest of us do. The time of "artist as king" is over.
What?