DRM backlash beginning?

Refuse to buy anything that includes DRM, Product Activation, or any form of usage restrictions.

There are sufficient alternatives available - as long as you don't feel the need to follow the crowd. Free music is widely available. There are more podcasts available than time to listen.

I'm not advocating any form of theft. However, I should be able to use any purchased movie, music, or software on any machine that I own now - or may own in the future. I should be able to treat the entertainment content as I would treat a book. This includes loaning it to a friend (and not using it myself while it is loaned). This also includes selling the CD (and not keeping a copy).

If I want to copy the music to a portable player, I shouldn't need to jump through hoops or get any copy authorization over the Internet.

by GreggN (See profile) - November 30, 2005 6:53 PM PST

It is about time that the American consumer woke up to the fact that while their government spends billions to protect and support the corporate right to make billions there is nobody protecting the rights of the consumer.

If a private person decided to hack his neighbor's computer and install control and spyware in order to protect himself from some perceived threat, the government would throw him in jail. If a corporation does it in the interest of protecting their right to make more money nothing happens to them.

Consumers should just wake up and start using their own powers. Just stop buying and supporting those corporations that do not honour your personal rights and they will soon smarten up inspite of the government.

by HughT (See profile) - November 30, 2005 6:51 PM PST

Really, in the end, is it really worth it all to the MPAA and RIAA? All the R&D they put into DRM, all the time and effort put into the advertising, all the time and effort put into investigating who downloading songs and movies, and all the infighting between companies on what to do about it, is it all worth it?

To my knowledge, all that's come of it is bad press from sueing a 12 year old little girl, some grandmother who had an open wireless network, a HUGE screwup that let hackers in and a lawsuit against Sony BMG. Yeah, sure, they got some money from sweeping lawsuits that got settled out of court. Seems to me they would end up earning more by investing in original artists and quality issues to the point of the consumers actually WANTING to buy their works. Instead, they turn out recycled crap that's soo disposable that its no wonder everyone just downloads it rather than paying for it. It's just going to be replaced in their playlist in a week or two anyways.

by RazorEye (See profile) - November 30, 2005 3:23 PM PST

I searched C|Net and news.com and only found a couple token mentions of AACS. This is the new copy-protection scheme being adopted by both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

According to this site: http://www.dvdsite.org/, there may be some scary elements to AACS, including the ability to render your discs or player unusable if one of their magic keys is compromised, as happened with DVD and DeCSS. Click on the FAQ link for full details.

Once again, this sounds like Hollywood is going too far in the name of copy-prevention. The above site suggests that a mechanism to replace obsoleted discs and upgrade player firmware would be sufficient, but I'm thinking, "what if I have some small-studio production or out-of-print material that's been decommissioned a couple years after I bought it? Who's going to replacew that?"

I'd like to see C|Net or someone shed more light on this concern so that more people know what's coming. If that website is wrong, great. If they're right and people don't know, then we need to get the word out so that people can make an *informed* decision about what they're buying. Or not buying, as it would be in my case.

Cheers!
Speleo.

by speleofool (See profile) - November 30, 2005 8:35 AM PST

If you buy a new car, the dealer or maker does not prohibit you to have your friend/wife/husband driving your car. You get full freedom of use, no questions asked. That does not seem to be the case with music; apparently the labels expect you to put down cash for something that you do not own as you don't have any freedom of use. It's like the dealer telling you your wife can't drive your car.If the only right you have on your purchased music is to listen to it, then it's a lot of money for almost nothing. Either you get full rights when buying cd's (including copy/lending) at these high prices, or all you get is a license to listen, but that shouldn't cost that much

by kiji (See profile) - November 29, 2005 11:08 PM PST

anyone notice that congressional reprenatives from Alaska (roughtly the population of 630k) need to know their role, and not push policy that is beyond the mainstream.

like a child ted stevens had a tantrum about being asked to return the funding for the "bridge to no where", which the island residents agreed to give back to help the national deficit, and to help rebuild gulf coast.

now he's worried about side boobs on tv? caucasian please!


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/22/AR2005102201040.html

by czvo024 (See profile) - November 29, 2005 8:17 PM PST

This website is fantastic. I can speak directly to the authors. This format will be copied many times over in the coming year. Good work!

Oh yeah, and Sony sucks.

by lewissalem (See profile) - November 29, 2005 2:51 PM PST