[mythtv-users] Another step towards what I'd predicted

[Steve Smith]

On 08/01/2008, Dean Harding <dean.harding at dload.com.au> wrote:
>
> Tom Dexter wrote:
> > Quoting the article:
> >
> > "The move is far from the all-digital service offered by its rivals,
> > though. To obtain the Sony-BMG tracks, would-be listeners will first
> > have to go to a retail store to buy a Platinum MusicPass, a card
> > containing a secret code, for a suggested retail price of $12.99. Once
> > they have scratched off the card's covering to expose the code, they
> > will be able to download one of just 37 albums available through the
> > service, including Britney Spears' "Blackout" and Barry Manilow's "The
> > Greatest Songs of the Seventies.""
>
> In addition to that, there's this:
>
> "In place of DRM software, the music will be "anonymously watermarked"
> in an attempt to help the label learn whether songs are being shared on
> peer-to-peer networks."
>
> http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Sony-softens-stance-on-DRM/0,139023166,339284900,00.htm
>
> So while they may have removed the DRM from a couple of CDs, they still
> assume their customers are all criminals.
>
> I guess we couldn't expect much else from Sony.
>
> Dean.
>
>
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>

Regarding the watermark, I can sympathise with Sony on this one.
After all what I suppose most people want is the freedom to move the tracks
between their own devices, a "fair use". If you then put the track onto a
peer to peer network that's a bit unfair to Sony really so for them to be
able to track this, is fair I suppose. Fair has to run both ways... at the
moment of course Sony gets all the fair.

(Of course it does assume all customers are "criminals" which is not nice at
all. And it completely ignores all the other ways the files can be got hold
of, and the fact that someone will crack it almost instantly etc....but the
principle is "fair". A waste of time, but fair.).

Also, I've not noticed anyone mention the following story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7176538.stm

basically in the UK we MAY be getting the right to copy CDs as part of fair
use in law. Which would be nice.

Cheers
Steve
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