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Recent News
Inside Information? - What's in your Mp3 track? :June 2007 - A Big (DRM-free)Apple
The next (not so)clever twist in the DRM software trail emerges. The embedding of purchaser information INSIDE the tracks.
1st June 2007 - BBC report on DRM-free iTunes Tracks
Well, OK it would seem quite reasonable from a business point of view to do this as a method of "tracking" an illegal distribution to its source distribution point. The BBC report also suggests that this embedding has being going on for some time. The point is (if this indeed has been happening), have purchasers been made fully aware that a quantity of personal information is being embedded in the tracks. Take just one scenario; someone buys a track legitimately and gives it as a present to a friend (we all buy presents dont we?), or even gives it away, what use is the embedded information in tracking the source of an illegal distribution? ZERO!
Opinion: It's quite obvious that any digital embedding measure taken to "protect" a track is doomed to fail unless legal restrictions connecting the purchased copy to the PURCHASER DIRECTLY are implemented (a totally unacceptible action in a democratic country) . One effect of measures of this type is likely to be a reduction in sales and of course an inevitable errosion of personal rights ie the right to give away/transfer what we've paid for & own. More specifically; IS the embedding of data of this type a technical contravention of the Data Protection act in the UK?
We'll leave that one for the legal experts.
Nowhere To Run - Continuing (as ever) with the blinkers on. :March 2006 - Self Defeating? Maybe.
Quite recently awareness of the DRM threat to the 'reasonable' use of copyright laws has increased. This report by BBC correspondent Bill Thompson really does encapsulate what we have discussed so far in this section on DRM and goes along with our opinions on the misguided deployment and use of DRM technologies by others.
17th March 2006 - BBC report on Righting The Copyright Wrongs
Bill appears to agree with us on the phenominal waste of development time and money associated with DRM. One thing you shouldn't forget though.....in the end we pay to restrict ourselves (if we choose to buy it). A somewhat ironic state of affairs?
Parisienne Walkways- Attempting to compromise? :March 2006 - French Government & a Big Apple
Over the last few months the French government has been attempting to arrive at a happy medium on DRM, having wrestled for months with various methods of achieving a compromise on DRM deployment and the users/customers rights.
8th March 2006 - BBC report on French Piracy Law Debate
Comment We believe that the most effective element in this bill is on DRM deployment, effectively it attempts to ensure that where DRM is deployed it must allow the media to be played on any equipment. The implementation of this will be very interesting as it would appear to require all reproduction equipment to have a DRM platform capability (probably in firmware). What about older equipment, will it play on this if there's no DRM key? If so then DRM is effectively rendered impotent as emulating 'older' equipment is very possible on a PC, rendering DRM a waste of time and money.
Update**** Development****: The French government backs consumers.
21st March 2006 - BBC Report on French Parliament vote to "open up" iTunes
Update****Further Development****: Apple are not happy.
22nd March 2006 - BBC Report on Apple's response to French Parliament vote to "open up" iTunes
Is there a happy medium? Probably... its all about corporate responsibility and being fair.The issue here appears to be - Restrictive practices verses cost.
Opinion: To be quite honest the perspective is clear if iTunes/Apple want restrict choice then the deal must be fair, reduce the price of the downloads to REALISTICALY reflect the restrcitive nature of the media AND... clearly state the restrictions. We suggest a download price of £0.10p ( or 17cents U.S) per track as a fair trade for rights erosion. Would the market buy it? PROBABLY! Would the record labels and publishers like it? PROBABLY NOT, It's just a little more complicated than that.
This report 23rd March 2006 - Apples Core Problem With France - by Adam Livingstone of the BBC gives a balanced perspective on what's really happening.
The Self Preservation Society-Paying more for less. :February 2006-They Plan Our Access.
February saw various 'experts' and 'big knobs' from governments, educational establishments and companies getting together to debate (en masse) the internet and the creation & distribution of content. Inevitably DRM came to the front of the debate. This was not so much about making laws but more about who can exploit what and how. An informative article on how the big money people are thinking.
8th February 2006 - BBC report on Digital Future Lock Down
In Through The Out Door - Sony BMG looking after whose interests? :November 2005- Stealthy Sony.
DRM enters through the backdoor?
10th November 2005 - BBC report on Sony Hidden Copy Protection
Comment: An example of corporate intent, responsiblility, and honesty?
This 'Stealth'approach to DRM exits in a blaze of publicity
14th November 2005 - BBC report on Sony Hidden Copy Protection & Microsoft.
Comment: So, Sony introduce it without informing anyone, Microsoft achieve an apparent "moral high ground" because it constitutes malicious software under their rules. Interesting that Microsoft didnt appear to give a flying about malicious software until relatively recently.
Just how bad can it get?
16th November 2005- USCERT report on Sony (XCP)software Removal tool
Comment: Badly thought out or what? The BMG Sony planning, innovations and deployment department probably need a change of staff, maybe employ someone who can see beyond just the short term $$$£££ sign and reject their own natural knee-jerk reactions.
A new genus of Spyware cloak is now released for all and sundry to mutate and perfect. Lets hear it for BMG Sony winners of the " shooting yourself in the foot contest" and last place in the "contributions to internet development contest".
Opinion: Looking at the timeline on significant events within this case, it is quite obvious that Sony BMG intended to prevent the copying/ripping of music contained on various tangible CD's that it produced. The problem is that the CD's contained a DRM payload in addition to what was advertised on the product, moreover when unsuspecting customers played the CD's on their PC's the CD delivered its payload ( the DRM software mechanism) and cloaked it to avoid detection by anti-virus programs.
Was the approach adopted by Sony BMG a deception or was it an honest mistake which was applied to several artist product lines?
Did Sony BMG forget to tell purchasers exactly what they were buying AND what it would do to their equipment? All in all extremely irresponsible, selfish, clandestine and costly; the actions of a responsible business or just children in the playground ?
The Sound Of Silence - Who pays the piper isn't hearing the tune. : April 2005 - Locking Music To Hardware.
And so as DRM worms its way on to various large scale web distributors, we find the inevitable is happening. Restriction by play device courtesy of DRM. A manipulative method that 'just happens to' increase both hardware AND download sales.
25th April 2005 - BBC report on Copy Protection & Customer Frustration.
