Bad, bad DRM

Posted Sep 25, 2006 21:22 UTC (Mon) by man_ls (guest, #15091)
In reply to: Bad, bad DRM by mingo
Parent article: Kernel developers' position on GPLv3

You really think you don't have the right to tinker with your Tivo or any other device that enters your house -- to learn what it does and then modify it to better suit your needs. Even if it is necessary to do things other than what those content owners will let you, for example the nefarious idea of skipping commercials.

You probably don't watch DVDs on your Linux desktop, since those content owners do not want you to. They explicitly protected their valuable content with CSS which you would have to, again explicitly, circumvent to watch your legally bought DVD on your legally bought computer. As you would not be using a sanctioned program, that would make you effectively an outlaw.

You probably don't listen to MP3 music either, since:

on Linux you would be infringing upon Fraunhoffer's valuable patent portfolio, and
even if you used Ogg Vorbis, the RIAA and friends have repeatedly stated that you do not have authorization to rip and transfer the music tracks from CD's to computers and MP3 players, and without a license you are forbidden to do so by copyright law.

So you only listen to CDs and patiently change them every 50-60 minutes. Occassionally you may play CDs in shuffle mode, just to feel a little adventurous: "Is this really allowed?".

Sorry, too much for me. Freedom to tinker is freedom to tinker. If you think "content" licensing is so important that they can limit what you do with your stuff, then this is probably why DRM does not look so evil to you. But this is precisely why some other people, like Stallman and Moglen, must do things which maybe you don't understand now, but will in some years' time when we see the consequences.

Bad, bad DRM

Posted Sep 26, 2006 11:03 UTC (Tue) by mingo (subscriber, #31122) [Link]

I think i repeatedly asserted that i find the actions of the content monopoly deplorable.

All that i'm trying to point out is what i already wrote about in great detail: that (unlike the anti-DRM propaganda suggests) not all uses of DRM are evil, and that instead of worrying about the effects of other people's creative works we should rather concentrate on making our body of creative works appealing enough. Trying to fight DRM that tries to protect other people's creative works is misplaced in that respect. By doing that we'll be easily handled with in the policy debate by intentionally confusing us with "pirates who want to steal pay-for content". We are fighting the wrong war in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

I find the idea that we'll suddenly find no tools at our disposal to put free software on very far-fetched. DRM used for content is cumbersome, expensive and slow to every party involved.