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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>The fundamental problem with DRM is that it creates the only
case I know of where stolen media is more valuable than legally acquired media.
With stolen content I can use it where I want and share it with whom I want
(under fair use rules), with DRM protected content there are sharp limitations
on what I can play the content on and how I can share it. In addition, my
DRM enabled player may not be compliant with the DRM release level of the
content requiring an upgrade that also requires a network connection. If
I don’t have a network I may not be able to enjoy the content even
once. Finally enforcement focuses way too much attention on kids
and seems to put them at risk and doesn’t focus enough on criminals who aren’t
really bothered by DRM at all. In my mind there is something
terribly wrong with a process that seems to criminalize a protected group like
children. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Rob Enderle<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Principal Analyst<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Work: 408 272-8560<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Cell: 408 832-6326<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>FAX: 408 904-5274<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
debate-bounces@whitestar.linuxbox.org
[mailto:debate-bounces@whitestar.linuxbox.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Chris Blask<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, May 19, 2009 4:55 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Imri Goldberg; debate@whitestar.linuxbox.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [debate] Let's discuss DRM<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Oh yeah, bring the noise.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>1. If I can play music I can record
it. Worst case I can place microphones in front of speakers and just
record it all over again. A little bit of technical knowledge and I can
skip the actual speakers and microphones.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>2. When laws start making criminals
out of generally honest people it is a sign that something is out of whack with
your legal system. In the early 80s the Canadian government "tried
to reduce cigarette smoking" by massively raising taxes on cigarettes, creating
an enormous financial incentive both for consumers to buy bootleg cigarettes
and for organized crime to buy Canadian cigarettes in the States (where
prices were ~20% for the same cigarettes) and resell them in Canada. When
I noticed that all of the little old ladies at work were smoking bootleg
cigarettes (the proceeds from which were funding running gun-battles between
criminals in speedboats and police) it sank in that the law had created
criminals where none had existed before.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>3. DRM systems *can be* bad for
business in that they institutionalize distrust between producer and consumer.
The logic is that consumers are intrinsically dishonest
and will steal products if they are able, therefore producers must force
compliance on them. The statistical reality is that the majority of
people will willing pay what they perceive to be a fair price for a desired
product.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>4. DRM is bad for artists if for no
other reasonn than it makes them believe that the kinds of business models that
require DRM will be best for them. I strongly believe that artists should
embrace the broad distribution of their digital content and build business
models that leverage that.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>-chris</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b></span><span
class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
Imri Goldberg <lorgandon@gmail.com></span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>Hi<br>
<br>
It seems to me there are some good points to be made on both sides of the DRM
debate.<br>
As a starting point, you may want to pursue "A DRM Dissertation" (<a
href="http://www.debiantutorials.org/a-drm-dissertation-off-topic-230"
target="_blank">http://www.debiantutorials.org/a-drm-dissertation-off-topic-230</a>)
by Cory Doctorow from 2004, that recently I found on proggit (<a
href="http://www.reddit.com/r/programming" target="_blank">www.reddit.com/r/programming</a>
). <br>
The main (relevant) points there are:<br>
<br>
1. DRM systems don't work.<br>
<br>
2. DRM systems are bad for society, mostly by making criminals out of generally
honest people: <br>
<br>
" in Norway the studios put the local fuzz up to bringing him up on
charges of *unlawfully trespassing upon a computer system.* When his defense
asked, "Which computer has Jon trespassed upon?" the answer was:
"His own." <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>His no-fooling, real and physical property has been expropriated by the
weird, notional, metaphorical intellectual property on his DVD: DRM only works
if your record player becomes the property of whomever's records you're
playing."<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>3. DRM systems are bad for business, mostly because they
prevent the growth of new markets, and creating law-backed monopolies <br>
"There's a company that's manufacturing the world's first HDD-based DVD
jukebox, a thing that holds 30 movies, and they're charging <em>$30,000</em>
for this thing. We're talking about a $300 hard drive and a $300 PC -- all that
other cost is the cost of anticompetition."<br>
<br>
4. DRM systems are bad for artists, mostly by holding back new ways of making
art: "To abandon invention now robs tomorrow's artists of the new
businesses and new reach and new audiences that the Internet and the PC can
give them."<br clear=all>
<br>
I hope I'm doing his article justice. I tried to present Cory Doctorow's points
as I understood them.<br>
There was also a short discussion of this article on proggit at <a
href="http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8ll9d/a_drm_dissertation_cory_doctorow_speaking_to/"
target="_blank">http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8ll9d/a_drm_dissertation_cory_doctorow_speaking_to/</a><br>
<br>
It is easy to counter some of his points, and there have obviously been many
developments since 2004. Anyone interesting in discussing this?<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Imri<br>
<br>
-- <br>
Imri Goldberg<br>
--------------------------------------<br>
<a href="http://www.algorithm.co.il/blogs/" target="_blank">www.algorithm.co.il/blogs/</a><br>
--------------------------------------<br>
-- insert signature here ----<o:p></o:p></p>
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