Just when you think maybe the discussions concerning digital media rights might be heading in a more reasonable direction you’re slapped back to the sad reality by two events this week.
First, Media Rights Technologies issued formal non-binding warnings to Adobe, Apple, Microsoft and Real Networks that they were in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by marketing products with unprotected media streams that could be copied or ripped. Now it just so happens that Media Rights Tech. has a RIAA approved software control that will lock down those streams. Media Rights Tech. thinks the mentioned companies should be forced to use it’s copy protection software due to the huge scale of the “potential” problem. Of course they think that. Give me a freaking break! Someone tell these guys that “build it and they will come” only happens in the movies.
Second, I’m sure glad we’ve got the DRM issue solved. It’s all been a terrible misunderstanding. HBO CTO Bob Zitter thinks we should just call DRM “Digital Consumer Enablement (DCE)” so that people would understand that this technology enables them to use content in so many new and wonderful ways. So this guy’s a CTO?…I’m thinking he’s butt kissing looking for a promotion? I know how stupid I think he is, but the question here is how stupid does he think we are? Mr. Zitter, you call it whatever you want, but it still sucks and it’s still doomed to failure no matter how hard you corporate types struggle. But thanks for my laugh of the day!
via Engadget and Wired Blog Network
Technorati Tags: dmca, drm, digital+rights+management