gregh  2007-03-09 08:05  bcltsymposium  Computing  copyright  fair_use   

I'm sitting here at the BCLT symposium on Copyright, DRM Technology, and Consumer Protection. Tom Rubin from Microsoft, who recently made a name for himself by attacking Google, is now speaking, trying to draw analogies between physical protection and DRM.

For instance, he cites the account/payment requirement to read WSJ online content as a form of DRM. I suppose there's some validity to that comparison. However, it should be noted, once a user logs into the WSJ online, there are no further restrictions on the use of that content. There is copyright and user agreements, sure. But that's different. He suggested library circulation policies as an analogy, except that that's a limit to physical resources, and once users have physical access, fair use again comes into play.

gregh  2007-03-09 08:26  bcltsymposium  copyright  drm   

Notes that Rob Glaser suggested eliminating DRM from music downloads well before Steve Jobs, plus "he really meant it."

I'm not sure why so many people think Jobs wouldn't be just as happy selling music without DRM.

gregh  2007-03-09 08:56  bcltsymposium  copyright  drm   

Andrew Bridges from Winston & Strawn is speaking now, taking a decidedly anti-DRM stance. Among other things, he's pretty clearly mocked the standard plaintiff's argument that lack of integration of DRM necessarily makes application vendors liable for contributing or encouraging infringement (I'm sure he used much more precise wording than mine.)

But what was funny was watching some of the reactions, particularly what looked to be disapproving comments going back and forth between Tom Rubin of Microsoft and Victoria Bassetti of EMI, who clearly didn't agree with Mr. Bridges' comments.

gregh  2007-03-09 10:23  bcltsymposium  drm   

Finally brought up the idea that DRM extends beyond music and videos. There may be digital rights that aren't just about copyright, but more generally about access. Sun's system, being centered on identities and access, can deal with that. Oh yeah, it's all open source, so there's no inherent lock-in. As UCB professor Hal Varian noted in the prior panel, he has at least one eBook he can no longer view, because the company that protected it is no longer.

See Open Media Commons for more.

gregh  2007-03-09 12:53  bcltsymposium   

I can't concentrate on key points and have the laptop in front of me. It's going to have to be put away.