If Bill Gates Thinks DRM Is So Flawed, Why Doesn't He Do Something About It?
from the money-where-your-mouth-is dept
Microsoft's been trying to get all touchy-feely with bloggers lately, and had a bunch of them up to its HQ for, among other things, an audience with Bill Gates. Apparently he was asked for his thoughts on DRM and copy protection, and his reponse was that it's pretty much broken. While not dismissing it out of hand, he says nobody's gotten it right, and that it causes too many problems for legitimate buyers -- which it does. So if Bill thinks it's such a problem, why doesn't he do something about it? It's all well and good for the likes of us to sit here and explain how DRM hurts content providers' businesses, but somehow, it seems that Hollywood's more likely to listen to somebody like Bill Gates when it comes to these things. Instead, we get Microsoft kowtowing to the recording industry and enabling all sorts of DRM-related problems with its Windows Media DRM, in particular its lack of support for devices like non-Windows PCs, and even its own Zune. It's high time that influential people who know better start explaining this stuff to the big content companies, whether it's Bill Gates, Steve Jobs (though his affinity for DRM seems to have changed), Yahoo execs or the few in the content business that seem to understand what's going on. Content owners need to wake up and realize that getting rid of DRM is good for their businesses; the idea just needs some influential evangelists to get them to listen.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
first
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: first
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: first
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: first
I think MS has gotten to the point where they have been pretending so long that they actually believe what's best for them is best for the customer.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Mikey
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ever Thought
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
broken or cracked?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
big companies.
A company in its early stages is good in nature, but once it establishes itself it's a money making factory and that's its only goal. And when you have a lot of big companies joining in a common goal of making money (DRM), it's a tough job taking their candy from them.
Microsoft is not different. Bill Gates probably cannot do anything about DRM even if he wanted to.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
re:
lame.
Maybe the RIAA will fix is, since it really only effects them and the trillions of dollars they are losing on CDs that are worth 1/10 of what they are being sold for.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: re:
lame.
Uh, no, its up to Bill to fix if if Bill wants to reap the benefits fo fixing it. That is all the incentive there ever was, and Bill has proven that is enough incentive for him.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Why?
There's more money in continuing down the same old path than there is in actually fixing it.
(Which would entail dispensing with it entirely.)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Why don't you.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Why don't you.
1. To my knowledge, I, nor a company I run, are currently responsible for creating and copy protection technologies or software that run counter to my feelings about DRM.
2. As I stated in the article, "It's all well and good for the likes of us to sit here and explain how DRM hurts content providers' businesses, but somehow, it seems that Hollywood's more likely to listen to somebody like Bill Gates when it comes to these things." Perhaps I'm just just overly humble, but I'd imagine that Hollywood execs who tend to think DRM is necessary to protect their businesses (and insist on using it) would sooner listen to Bill Gates' thoughts on the topic than mine. But I appreciate the obvious high regard in which you hold me.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Why don't you.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Bill quotes
He changed his mind on that one
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
How to fix DRM?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Companies vs people
For exactly that reason. Maybe he sees it as a positive fight. I mean we know copy protection and DRM is unworkable an impossible at a logical level right? So does Gates because he's not stupid. He's an odd character Gates, not that I know anything firsthand, but he's complex that's obvious. Once he is free of the responsibilty of Microsoft expect to see him do and say some wild things as he becomes an old and cantankarous legend in his own lifetime. Deep down he's old fashioned benevolent capitalist, earned it all himself etc etc. He enjoys respect and being liked and even though he probably understands the thinly veiled jealousy of the fellow geek world can't quite understand why he's become a figure of hate just for writing a a shitty operating system (Ok, *the* seminal shitty operating system). I suspect he doesn't want to be remembered for that and has plans to remain involved in "technology issues" while there's still breath in his body, which I hope is a long time yet. And I say that as a Windows hating Linux zealot too.
@ franticindustries
Agree. Corporations literally become an entity in their own right, not just a ficticious legal persona, but something gestalt. Individuals, even those who appear to have power, become the servants not masters of their creations. That is why we need have the law treat corporations with the exact equivilent powers to real people, not just the halfway niceities of incorporation, but have corporate murder, corporate insanity and corporate jailtime - sanctions that can usefully wipe out a company that is deemed a threat to society at large. Of course if that ever happened, Boeing, Haliburton, General Dynamics, and the whole nest of death profiteers would be disbanded within months.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Companies vs people
As for DRM, I still maintain if you tag a file when it is made/copied with the information of who did it, where, and when would make it easier to find pirated content. The Riaa and the Mpaa can feel like they are still needed by downloading the content of various sites and checking the tags daily, hourly, or whatever. If a tag doesn't hash out, they can go to work with the legal overkill and punish the mean ol' pirates. Of course there is problems with this system as well but at least we could use the files on the platform we want to use them on without having to buy the same content two or three times.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gates Interview
MediaVidea has 5 questions for Bill gates .
http://mediavidea.blogspot.com/2006/12/5-questions-for-bill-gates.html
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Do you even understand the issues?
Why do you continue to ignore the fact that different industries have different goals and agendas? I know that content owners want their content being sold on as many different devices as consumers choose, but you need to realize that content owners want to be paid for their material. Its not a technical issue (although getting DRM to work is) its a business issue of who gets paid.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
And let's not forget, it's the RIAA & the MPAA that are the content owners, not the content producers (artists who have signed over their content for the industry's age old promises of fame & fortune and seemingly lucrative deals...)
The deathnell of the RIAA & MPAA will not be their non-acceptance of DRM free content. Rather, it will be from more and more artists realizing that they don't need to make deals with "the Man" anymore, and strick out on their own. Unfortunately, it is/will be a very long drawn out process.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DRM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It certainly wouldn't surprise me.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Think a Class Action Law Suit is in Order
http://microsoftdrmproblems.blogspot.com/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DRM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]