BBC Wants DRM On HD Broadcasts

NickFortune writes "The EFF's Danny O'Brien has pointed out that the BBC has asked a UK regulator for permission to add DRM to their high-definition broadcasts. Apparently, this is at the behest of content providers. 'BBC is proposing to encode the TV listings metadata that accompanies all digital TV channels with a simple compression algorithm. The parameters to this algorithm would be kept secret by the BBC: it would ask manufacturers to sign a private agreement in order to receive a copy. This license would require the implementation of pervasive DRM in the equipment they build.' Ofcom, the regulatory body in question, has detailed the proposal asked for comments, but the window closes today."

Comments

You're obliged to pay for it

[BadAnalogyGuy]

The BBC produces some great programming. Mostly their news, but sometimes other stuff is not that bad. That comes at a cost, though: hefty fine on the purchase of any new TV set. This extra tax lets the government keep on producing great news and mediocre telly (that's what they call TV in England) shows.

So if they now want to force an upgrade to support this new DRM system, it makes sense that the taxpayers should foot the bill. After all, creating telly programs that is of high quality and value is something that everyone should support. So calling all Brits! Go do the patriotic thing and buy a new TV set today.

Re:You're obliged to pay for it

[Hognoxious]

But it must be bad! It isn't American! It's just the same as all the fuss about Obama's health plans. Despite pretty strong evidence that systems similar to the NHS give a better benefit/cost ratio, all the redneck mouth breathers are terrified of "commernissum". But maybe they're right, I mean these people were raised in an education system that's second to none. It must be...

So it goes.

Re:Damn you BBC! Damn you to HELL!

[loufoque]

which serves to trigger the portion of the DMCA law (Britain probably has equivalent legal language now due to copyright "normalization" treaties)

And that's where you're wrong.
Like most US abominations, the DMCA is a US-only thing.

European laws prevent the adoption of any DMCA-like law in any country of the union. It does have something slightly similar though: circumvention is allowed unless it is done for illegal purposes; that means you're not allowed to spread information of how to break the protection of a certain service to render that protection ineffective and use the service for free, for example.

Damn you MS BBC! Damn you to HELL!

[SgtChaireBourne]

which serves to trigger the portion of the DMCA law (Britain probably has equivalent legal language now due to copyright "normalization" treaties)

And that's where you're wrong.
Like most US abominations, the DMCA is a US-only thing.

European laws prevent the adoption of any DMCA-like law in any country of the union. It does have something slightly similar though: circumvention is allowed unless it is done for illegal purposes; that means you're not allowed to spread information of how to break the protection of a certain service to render that protection ineffective and use the service for free, for example.

Well then you might want to contact your EU representatives and let them know. They appear to have gone and not only passed the EUCD . Since then, the member states have been scrambling over each other to make nasty implementations of the EUCD at home.

Besides, laws only apply to honest folk. The situation there at the BBC is that Microsoft toadies have been moving in and locking the BBC into anti-democratic technologies. M$ still hasn't made good on the legal obligations set by the European courts about media formats, players and browsers. All three violations come to play here in the BBC.

The time for putting up with Microsofters is over. They're killing services (e.g. BBC), jobs and the economy.