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Apple Declares DRM War On Sneaker Hackers
theodp writes "Nicholas Carr is not pleased that Apple has applied for a patent to extend DRM to tennis shoes and other articles of clothing. Apple apparently views tennis-shoe DRM as a way to head off a potential plague of sneaker hacking. 'Some people,' the patent application observes, 'have taken it upon themselves to remove the sensor from the special pocket of the [iPod-linked] Nike+ shoe and place it at inappropriate locations (shoelaces, for example) or place it on non-Nike+ model shoes.'"
God damn it, not another bizarro world. Hope I can slide again soon.
I'm not sure which is more ridiculous - the patent application or the fact that there's an iPod link in a shoe.
I toggled a toggle and buttoned a button, but when I got done, I was done doin' nothin'.
The Martin Guitar company is considering whether to file a patent on DRM on its guitar strings - the company notes that "some players" are fitting Martin-manufactured strings to "non-Martin labeled guitars." IT'S AN OUTRAGE!
Disclaimer: The above is not true - except the outrage bit.
It is possible to buy the sensor without the shoe. In fact, I had assumed that the sensor never came with the shoe - but that Nike sold shoes that had a built in pocket for the sensor.
I bought a sensor and a nano - but I don't run in Nike shoes. But a few different companies make pouches designed just to hold the sensor, at the laces.
I bought it before the application date on the patent.
I ended up getting a Garmin Forerunner now that they are smaller. Much better as far as accuracy and amount of information. I still run with the Nano for music but not the pedometer. And I'm not positive on this - but I could swear that I saw an ad in Runners World for a nike thing that let you use the sensor without a nano.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
I'm not an Apple fan because of their tendency to use proprietary standards, etc, but I can appreciate that they build a good user experience for people that are perhaps not as technically inclined. But I think it's definitely moving towards the point where you (as TFA says) are embarrassed to be an Apple fan. This sort of action is just petty.
We have laws for counterfeiting. We should enforce those instead of thinking up new redundant laws.
Problem is, this won't be the last time we hear of DRM being applied places it has no business being applied. The whole concept of DRM is a joke, invented b/c lawmakers were unwilling or unable to draft legislation that properly dealt with online filesharing and piracy.
Thank you Dave Raggett
You can't download an integrated circuit.
To get the chips, a pair of nikes must be bought, guaranteeing the revenue no matter what the electronics within are use for next.
I don't see why apple should care. I know I wouldn't give a damn if it were used on another pair of sneakers, modified to play old 8 bit game cartridges, or attached to tomahawk missiles.
The fact they do care is rather disturbing, as it reflects a general trend toward companies asserting ownership over your stuff. I'm not talking about copyrighted works either, i'm talking about everything.
They're walking a fine line, installing technologies designed to subvert people's right to modify and use their own devices for their own (sometimes unforseen) purposes.
You are allowed to sell something any way you wish, but if they sue someone for modifying their own shoes, I expect them to lose, as it's related to physical goods rather than copyrighted material.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
So?
As has been observed on Slashdot many times in the past, if I have bought [whatever], I can do whatever the hell I want with it.
So I feel the urgent need to own a pair of iPod compatible sneakers, and duly buy a pair. I can now;
Paint them purple.
Shred them with a razor blade.
Change the laces.
Remove a sensor to see what it is and what fun I can have with it.
Apparently not. Apple seem to think that they have some say on what I can do with my shoes. What are they smoking? DRM'd sneakers. FFS, give me a break.
Trying to associate Microsoft with "fun" is like trying to associate Satan with aromatherapy. -Tycho
What is it with evilness generally claiming that they have to protect the stupid halfwits from themselves? Apple's patent app:
"Since only authorized garments are configured to electronically pair with authenticated sensors, a user (or manufacturer) can be assured that the sensing data received by the sensor is both accurate and consistent with its intended use (a sensor designed for use with running shoes can not properly be used with dance shoes, for example)."
Dear Corporate World:
We are not complete tools... we can take care of ourselves. Believe it or not, we know the difference between dancing and running.
Thanks Much
-Consumers of the World.
I told you Apple has no soul.
Table-ized A.I.
Sensationalist shit. What will Apple do if you move your sensor to something else? NOTHING. War? What kind of war? All you do is void your warranty. It's just another patent application like millions out there. Christ, I'd expect this kind of crap from Digg, not from Slashdot.
Apple knows they can't win this, but they have to establish a track record.
IIRC, the classic example is that you own a lot of land. Your neighbor parks his dump truck on a part of your land that you don't use and you don't see. After several years, you want to develop that land. Since you allowed his to park there for years he can argue that he has your permission.
here are tons of fake Nikes coming from Asia that are honestly way worse in quality, durability, and comfort.
Not to be confused with the REAL Nikes coming from Asia that are bad in quality, durability, and comfort.
I guess this spells the demise of sneakernet
I *had* decided to get a Mac the next time I got a new computer. Not now. Good job.
The whole concept of DRM is a joke, invented b/c lawmakers were unwilling or unable to draft legislation that properly dealt with online filesharing and piracy.
I vote unable - because enforcement is impossible. Even the RIAA's highly publicized campaign of sueage currently near the 40,000 suit market is just a drop in the bucket of well over 10million simultaneous users -- only 0.4% at best.
Of course I don't believe it is the politicians fault, its really the fault of the entertainment business for (a) being run by lawyers (the old every problem looks like a nail when all you have is a hammer situation) and (b) not accepting the obvious and ignoring new business models.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
Apple: Still not as bad as Micro$oft. But we're trying. God damn, we are trying.
The sensor is great. The integration with the iPod is cool. The fact that Nike only makes one width of shoe (and that their "medium" is pretty much a narrow) means I can't have this technology? Hmmm...maybe we should get some sort of ADA-for-tech law passed so that you can hack something to make it work for you if it doesn't work as sold...
"Where quality is like a dead stinking rat - you just can't miss it."
I just wish people would take a lesson from the Defcon badges and make stuff that encourages hacking.
(In before "Windows crap security encourages hacking" jokes.)
Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
OK, I'd be careful of the whole social networking thing. I'm pretty sure that if you meet a potential spouse through this, the rights on your first born child are forfeit to Apple, Nike, and AT&T.
Well, that's what happens when a totalitarian regime gets into control. They make sure you only use the brands THEY want you to use. Want this phone? Only with that service. Want a shoe with this feature? Only with the brand shoe we tell you. And if you do anything different... lawsuit! I find it amusing that many of /.'s readers recognize this sort of thing (and hate it) when it's done by this company or that, but simultaneously want to vote into government offices people who will implement this sort of thing on a national scale. And I find it even more amusing that they don't recognize that their political opinions are actually exactly the opposite of what they want.
McCain/Palin '08. Now THAT's hope and change!
Is this some mental-deficient's idiotic idea of a fucking joke? DRM on a goddamn fucking shoe? Are you fucking KIDDING ME??!?
Why god, why, does the sensor have to be buried in rubber and resin so your investment wears out with the soles of your $200 shoes (euros hurt). Oh wait... I just answered my question to god. :)
There are tons of fake Nikes coming from Asia that are honestly way worse in quality, durability, and comfort.
Probably more scary for American companies like Nike: the fakes are often of better quality manufacture, and often considerably.
I definitely remember back in the 1980s and 1990s the cheapie Bali cassette albums were always far better quality than what the big studios were releasing. They used high quality tape, decent glue and strong cassette cartridges. Meanwhile the big studios used whatever was cheapest in order to inflate their profits that extra bit further.
Um. The cost is the whole point.
By spending lots of money you're showing the world how committed you are to your workout regime.
You people should definitely stay away from jobs in marketing. Your "functional" versions of this product would bomb in the market place.
No sig today...
You say that as if that was the original intention of the patent system.
"Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
We're all engineers here buddy, if you want to meet marketing folks; I'm sure you can find some on fark or something...
I'm no DRM fan (not that this story really has anything to do with DRM) but I gotta break in on this little mutual admration society you've got going.
First, my main bitch is with the blog being pimped. The dude hot-linked the authors image (New Scientist) in the posting. To me, that's bigger news than this Smart Clothing patent. Comedically it looks like the author from NS showed up in comments to give a smackdown.
Second, if you read the actual article or maybe even the patent app. itself, instead of the POS submission, this is pretty much a lot of hand waving and acronym throwing over nothing.
They want to make a sensor and clothing combo that can tell if the sensor is in the right place. To me that's pretty simple and even seems patentable compared to a lot of things I've read.
Last, for this to be "bad", shouldn't this harm the "shoe sensor market" or "smart clothing market' if there even were such things? I don't see how this is going to stop anyone from making other systems or other sensors. Patent licensing is another opening for competition even if someone else produce from Apple's patent.
Lame story. Now go harass that guy for hot-linking New Scientist's image. It's 2008 for crying out loud! :-)
-Matt
Wow. This thing pretty much hits all the points of non-patentability.
1) Most of it -- the non-DRM stuff -- isn't at all novel; it has been done before by Apple, even. They're just re-iterating the prior art to bulk out the application. The stuff about analyzing the running style, I've been hearing about being used for athletes for years; commercializing it doesn't make it patentable.
2) Nor is it non-obvious. The patent (again, aside from the DRM stuff) appears to be trying to cover a specific sort of telemetry. Telemetry has been done for a while -- likely from garments, even, if you consider a spacesuit or a diving suit a garment. Given that you have telemety, it's pretty obvious (here in 2008, or even in 2007) you can process it on a networked computer or receive it on a portable computer. And making that computer a portable multimedia player doesn't make it any different either.
3) The DRM stuff isn't novel either. Using a physical device to provide authorization and authentication information goes back to antiquity. Using it in computers goes back to the days of "dongles". Using an RFID device to provide authorization and authentication... well, isn't that one of the originally envisioned uses of RFID? Using a hammer to drive in a nail isn't novel, even if the nail itself is.
4) Not really related to patentability, but it's unlikely to be implemented, at least in the RFID embodiment. Providing enough power to ping passive RFID will kill the sensor's battery. And active RFID is likely to be too expensive and present manufacturing problems, not insurmountable but certainly greater than the "problem" of having people do other things with the sensors.
Either your sig is sarcastic, or you're suggesting that the candidate who is actually for net neutrality, and a transparent government, is the opposite of what I want?
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!