A Five Minute Guide to Opposing DRM

[ubuntu_demon]

from http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000073 :


I've been covering the Free Software Foundation's Defective By Design (http://defectivebydesign.org/) campaign against Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies since its planning stages. Starting from scratch, in less than three months, the campaign has grown to 7000 members. This number is impressive, especially since the campaign introduces a degree of activism previously unknown in the free and open source software communities. What strikes me, though, is that, for all the loathing of DRM, how rarely the reasons for opposing it are spelled out. In some cases, the reason may be that people consider them too obvious to be worth mentioning, but, too often when I've probed, people haven't even heard of the possible objections. These objections begin with the fact that the case for DRM has yet to be made, and continues with arguments about consumer rights, privacy, competitiveness, and industry standards.


I blogged about this here :
http://ubuntudemon.wordpress.com/2006/08/03/a-five-minute-guide-to-opposing-drm/

[gruvsyco]

Most of these debates are are around the rights of the consumer or the rights of the distributor but, I very seldom hear anyone's concern for the actual content creator whether it be programmer, artist, musician or film maker. The one side is always, down with big corporations saying what I can and can't do with my stuff and the other side is always, Quit stealing our **** or we'll sue.

I think it's a shame that in the digital age no one seems to want to take any kind of responsibility for their own actions. Users will continue to infringe copyrights, Corporations will continue trying to prevent it and, in the middle, are the content creators who just continue getting screwed.

[G Morgan]

Quite frankly I don't give a damn about the rights of content creators. I have a right to buy what suits me and its suited to me to buy products that don't restrict me. If they don't like it then tough, find some idiot to give you money because I won't.

It's totally different supporting freedom of use to advocating piracy. Unfortunately a few (many) people don't understand that and these are the people that justify stupid principles.

The only way to stop DRM morally is not to buy anything that is DRM'd. Support non DRM even if it costs more money (non crippled media is worth 10 times crippled media anyway). Eventually the market will sort itself out.

[vayu]

Most of these debates are are around the rights of the consumer or the rights of the distributor but, I very seldom hear anyone's concern for the actual content creator whether it be programmer, artist, musician or film maker.

Anyone that thinks DRM is about content creators rights is missing an important point about how little they make in regards to the big corporations profits.

[nalmeth]

Thanks ubuntu_demon

Every time I hear DRM I start to grind my teeth a little harder...

Going to need a good dental plan to get through this.

[3rdalbum]

1. I run Ubuntu. Because of this, I can't listen to legally-purchased files, because they are in a VERY closed-source format.

2. I have a Teac MP3 player. Because of this, I can't put my legally-purchased iTunes Music Store files directly onto my player.

DRM sucks, people.

[VirtuAlex]

Movie makers should collect their profits from movie theaters, singers from concerts, and programmers are doomed anyway and should work for free. After that all resulting media should be properly packed in shiny boxes, giftwrapped and sold at dump prices for marginal profits. Then pirates will get depressed, commit mass suicide, and the rest of us will live happily ever after. Gosh, I wanna live like that... even being programmer...

[VirtuAlex]

1. I run Ubuntu. Because of this, I can't listen to legally-purchased files.
Stop paying for that. Listen free-speech radio.

[Polygon]

somehow i dont think drm will go away unless there is a massive change in how people behave. Take video games for instance, the only reason things like copy protection and CD keys is because without, one person would buy the game and put it on the internet, and 100's of thousands of people would download and enjoy the game for free, and the people who created the game for their JOB would not get the money they deserved.

The best example of "good drm" as i see it, is steam. sure its drm, but its not necessarlly bad. All it does is prevent you from pirating the games and putting them on the internet.

What the music industry needs is an universal way to stop illegally purchased music from getting on the interet. put an emphasis on UNIVERSAL, as things like the itunes music store and all that are fine, except for the problem is that its not supported everywhere, so like ubuntu users get screwed out of playing any protected AAC files.

I dont care if any industry wants to stop illegally distrubting and piracy, because if i was in their situation, i would want to do the same. its just dont make it so like only one mp3 player will play this type of music file. The music industry really needs to get together and make this happen.

[VirtuAlex]

music industry just needs to stop selling cds for ridiculous prices...