The Trouble With Digital Content Controls

from the lots-of-questions dept

CIO Insight magazine has an interview with a dean from Carnegie Mellon talking about all the various issues involved in digital rights management. In the end, he basically says it's a crazy issue and he doesn't know what the solution is. He does bring up one interesting point that isn't talked about often (though, it was discussed when Microsoft first started talking about Palladium). That is that digital rights management technology, beyond just protecting content produced by media outlets, can also potentially be used to protect people against identity theft.
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  • identicon
    tired, 11 Oct 2002 @ 8:27pm

    another oft overlooked part of the discussion ?


    I'm kinda suprised I haven't seen a discussion about a different part of content management that I am sure must have some bearing on Organizations like the RIAA or MPAA. Seperate of the lost sales figures that are always mentioned, aren't content owners beginning to feel some scruntiny regarding the declared inventory value of their catalogs? I would find it hard to believe if a company considered their back catalog valuable, that at some point they had not taken loans against the value of those properties. While it may be posible to estimate future earning from back catalog sales based on delivering grouped songs on a cd, Napster and Gnutella proved that many folks searched for either hard to find out of print songs, or the most popular hits from artist.

    Rarely do they look for the filler type songs that make up a lot of the overpriced cd issue. At some point , wouldn't a bank start to call someof those assets shakey ?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dr_Stein, 12 Oct 2002 @ 12:58am

    "But, it's for the children!"

    "Palladium will be used for preventing identity theft" - I can see the propaganda now. Never mind the fact that the rest of your digital rights are gone.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2002 @ 2:23am

    an honesty system is the best DRM policy

    haven t read the article but I am deeply involved in issues of content distribution and copyright protection and well, I also come from a country where stealing and pirating is deeply ingrained in our culture and...

    I remember, as a kid, the amazement of going to the US and see newspapers sold in those boxes which you just open, pick the newspaper and pay, if you like. Always thought that to be a sign of anglosaxon cultural superiority (excuse me the term)

    where has it all gone ? can t we just keep dealing copyright on an honesty system, who s willing to pay will pay, who s not will bear the risk of being caught, and companies don t have to hire somebody to run the newsstand because it might not profitabkle at all (of course unless you get your customers to pay much more) ?

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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