eBay: Burn DVD movies onto CD?

Lars Gaarden larsg at trustix.com
Fri Jun 22 06:13:16 PDT 2001


David Honig wrote:

> At 02:36 PM 6/21/01 +0200, Lars Gaarden wrote:
> 
>>
>>The DVDCCA license requires that DVD equipment never allow access to
>>the raw digital data.
>>http://www.dvdcca.org/data/css/css_proc_spec11.pdf
> 
> If you buy the media (and more importantly, the license to play
> the content) you can use any hardware/software you like.  Period.
> [1]


That is exactly how it should be, no argument there. However, there
are forces that would like to change this. The media and software
companies have so far succeeded in getting a couple of bad laws
passed (DMCA, UCITA), and are pushing heavily to force hardware
manufacturers to add 'copy protection'[2] technology to their
devices.

Unless we stop this, we might find ourselves in an Orwell'esque
world five or ten years down the line.


>>This ties in nicely with the content manufacturers' dream of a
>>tamed digital environment where neither piracy nor fair use is
>>possible, and everything is pay-per-view, controlled and metered.
> 
> Where a remotely-readable meter logs all licensed entertainment
> that's entered your brainstem each month.


Some of them actually want that kind of world, and seem to have
the power, money and know-how to push both legislation and
technology in that direction.

> [1] That remote-music storage dotcom which required you to have a

> meatspace CD before letting you play the content should have needed

> *no* license, permit, or blessing from the producers.


A year ago, I would have believed that copyright law was sane, and
that the above sentence was correct. Unfortunately, (C) is a rather
messy and even internally inconsistent law which does not follow
common sense.

According to current law, that remote-music storage dotcom
(my.mp3.com?) need to produce and store copies of the music. As
there is no copyright exemption that applies to this situation,
they need to obtain a license (actually, several licenses). Is this
the way it should be? imho, no. Does this seem logical to anyone
except copyright lawyers? No. Do most laypeople expect that this
should be covered by fair use? Yes.

To fix this, we need to change copyright law. Unfortunately, the
current trend is that (C) is moving in the wrong direction, because
most of the lobbyists and most of the money are in the hands of
media companies. While DFC and EFF are trying, it seems like we
need more - much more.

Jessica Litman's 'Digital Copyright' covers a lot of this. Recommended
if you haven't read it already.

[2] 'copy protection' is a misnomer, just like Intellectual Property
is. IP isn't property, it is a limited, temporary, monopoly on an
idea (patent) or an expression (copyright). Likewise, 'Copy Protection'
is Use Control. CP is carpet-bombing from 20000ft with the expressed
intent to stop piracy, while (accidentally, or deliberately) doing
lots of collateral damage - including, but not limited to, fair use
and the principle of first sale.

-- 
LarsG
http://eurorights.org





More information about the cypherpunks-legacy mailing list