Get this late breaking news - The New York Times has discovered that online music stores such as iTunes and Real’s Rhapsody compress their music!
This is such a ridiculous article that we had to post it. It really shows how large news organizations recreate news when there is nothing to report.
The intelligence at Northwestern University always produces insightful material. Click the link below for an interesting slideshow on DRM, Fair Use, and their inherent problems: “it doesn’t always work: it can be defeated.”
The EFF has asked programmers to step in to help make MythTV usable enough for the average consumer. Their fear stems from the FCCs Broadcast Flag which, “responding to pressure from Hollywood, the FCC has adopted a rule requiring future digital television (DTV) tuners to include “content protection” (aka DRM) technologies. Starting next year, all makers of HDTV receivers must build their devices to watch for a broadcast “flag” embedded in programs by copyright holders. When it comes to digital recording, it’ll be Hollywood’s DRM way or the highway. Want to burn that recording digitally to a DVD to save hard drive space? Sorry, the DRM lock-box won’t allow it. How about sending it over your home network to another TV? Not unless you rip out your existing network and replace it with DRMd routers. Kind of defeats the purpose of getting a high definition digital signal, doesn’t it?”
Read the article.
Keep your enemies closer…read a synopis from the Digital Rights Management Strategies 2004 conference in New York, 12-14 April which covers the prospects and problems of DRMs.
Continue Reading: Digital Rights Management Strategies 2004
There are some good points in this article on DRM and why it is “working” at all. Is it because the encryption schemes are too difficult to break? We already know that isn’t the case. Or is it rather, that laws in place today prevent us from using technology to the fullest:
Why does DRM work here? Is it because DRM is a technical marvel defeating all who attempt to break it? No, DRM works only because the law says it does. Why not simply say:
The DMCA does work and it can be good for business and acceptable to consumers. While most folks might prefer no DMCA, that’s just not viable in today’s world and most consumers will accept DMCA solutions because the law gives them no choice.
Read the Article
Long (but worth the read) is this transcript of a talk originally given to Microsoft’s Research Group and other interested parties from within the company at their Redmond offices on June 17, 2004. You can read the full text here.
Here’s what I’m here to convince you of:
1. That DRM systems don’t work
2. That DRM systems are bad for society
3. That DRM systems are bad for business
4. That DRM systems are bad for artists
5. That DRM is a bad business-move for MSFT
