Comments on: The future of DRM

Perfect DRM is impossible, but it can be effective in the commercial sense--protecting the commercial distribution of copyrighted works against unfair and illegal competition from pirates.

[R.Jefferson]

I love this line....

"Although many people are willing to play pirated content, most aren't."

Maybe im chillin in my own reality but I think you should reverse the use of many and most in that statement. Since both statements would be generalizations.

[Peter N. Glaskowsky]

You may be right

That's just my opinion, and I can't point to surveys or any other source of factual support.

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[p40tomahawk]

Two Words: Air Gap

OK, this only applies to music, but that's a significant part of what DRM has attempted to build for up until now. Equipment required: a Line Out cable, $2.99. And once it's been re-digitized, all those copies are in the open and the DRM is gone. It's possible that platforms could be designed which have hardware to guarantee that ONLY licensed files are playable; how successful do you think a non-MP3 hardware player would be in the open market???

[Peter N. Glaskowsky]

Reasonable points...

As I said, the analog hole can't be closed. If there's no Line Out jack, a pirate just puts a microphone up next to the speaker.

But as long as ordinary users can't make full-quality copies, I think that's sufficient to protect the work in the ordinary course of commerce. As I said, I think most people will pay for legitimate content.

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[Axiomatic13]

DRM=I will not buy the product

I think people are going to vote with their wallets. The cat is already out of the bag. PEOPLE HATE DRM. Little old ladies are being made aware of DRM by their kids (or someone else) and since it provides no use/benefit to the consumer it will always be pointed out as crippleware and appropriately shunned.

I wont buy it, and when I find out I have, I return the product.

It boils down to this. Nobody wants software loaded on their PC's which they did not intend to put there. If there is a Windows service, or resident application, or system tray applet... IT'S EATING UP RESOURCES!

DO NOT WANT DRM!!!

[Peter N. Glaskowsky]

You live a sheltered life

Sheltered from Windows, Macs, iPods, DVD, HDTV, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, cable and satellite TV. Basically your entertainment is provided entirely by Linux and CDs.

Hey, that's a perfectly moral choice. I can't criticize it at all. It just isn't MY choice. I like a lot of that stuff.

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[growldrm]

I took the bait and got bit. Spiralfrog has left me with 12 Gig of stuff I cannot use in 2 months' I should have read your blog over a year ago. Is this the future of DRM - a company goes under and leaves its' subscribers hi and dry. At least they could have told us where we could "purchase" the music they allowed us to have. They even had a "broken link" to where you could not have to re-register "for life". hee hee hee, fooled the hell out of 1,000,000 subscribers....Can there be a system to fight DRM???? no, then what would be the purpose of DRM???? Thsnks spiralfrog. You just freed up 12G of hard drive space for me

growldrm

[Leria]

DRM=Unnecessary and Counterproductive

DRM is something that was never necessary and never will be necessary, ever. The only thing that it does is aggravate people who legitimately buy the product in question, and makes those who absolutely DESPISE it avoid the product like the plague and look for ways to remove the DRM from their purchased product.

[Marek0178]

It seems that data hiding technology will be the future of the DRM. Mydrmspace it is good example of the Internet platform using this technology. Personally, it is easier for me to check a hidden ID to prove ownership rather than to forbid (by encryption) listening to the music or watching pictures or films.