RE: Why DRM exists [was Re: Flame Linus to a crisp!]

Downing, Thomas
2003-04-30T15:41:39Z

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry McVoy [mailto:lm@bitmover.com]

[snip] (because I agree almost completly with all of it.)

>> My A produces your B; I don't like B, so I won't A. This seems to be
>> your solution.
>
> I'm not sure I've proposed a solution, I doubt it. I don't have a
solution,
> I'm trying to shine a light on what I see as a problem. I was hoping that
> you had a solution.

Okay, fair enough. I don't have a silver bullet. I do have some ideas -
but only ones obvious to anyone.

In the short term, everything that can be done to thwart the abuse of DRM
and other technological measures, must be done. DeCSS (lovely example)
shows us this. Nominally, MPAA won that battle. Practically, they lost;
anyone can use Linux to watch DVD's anywhere in the world. Hence my
dislike of the cause-and-effect argument.

In the short term, everything that can be done to thwart legal abuse of
consumer rights must be done. This is in many ways harder. Political
activism is _not_ easy; as many of us on lkml have found out at first
hand, and often at greater or lesser personal cost. The current battle
against DMCA is _not_ going well.

Anything that can be done to encourage distribution (for profit) of
entertainment content through channels other than MPAA/RIAA sould be
done. The internet holds this promise. If DRM becomes law in the
way the entertainment industry wants, this will be illegal. Best
way to fight that eventuality is to have a healthy industry already
in place.

The to points on which the issues will hang are hardware and law. If
hardware vendors decide to adopt the path that the media industry
(and certain members of the software industry) would like, we have
a big problem, and only legal and market forces can change that. At
this time, I don't see how 'open hardware' is a practical concept if
current vendors stop making it. I don't think market force against
total media control is likely to be measurable - unless alternatives
are just as easy to use, from the _mass_ market point of view.

If hardware vendors continue to make 'open hardware' the only hurdle
is legal. But when the opposition has the sort of clout (read, money)
that it has, this is one hell of a big hurdle.

This whole thing is being driven by the US. This leads to the long
term. They will fail - problem is just how long will it be before
they do fail. It could be quite some time.