Today, Steve Jobs wrote an excellent essay on Apple.com covering the state of DRM. I don’t care if you like Apple or not, this is a must read article. Steve brings up excellent points regarding DRM. It just isn’t working. You can still download any CD you want, even before it’s released. Why make the lives of legal-abiding citizens harder when there is no way to stop piracy?
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8 Comments
Great read. I saw this earlier this afternoon.
It’s really out of character for him to write something like this so publicly.
I hope we see more of it.
I really have to 100% agree with Steve here. And I wish that the MPAA starts to think this as well. Fair use laws state I can make a backup copy of my disc and use it in any fashion as I see fit (putting it on an iPod for example). Long as I am not distributing it, I am not breaking copyright law. However, circumventing CSS makes it illegal for me to use fair-use.
Despite how easy it is to decrypt a disc, using region codes just so they can release DVDs in different markets at different times and different prices. And the funny part is, with region coding, it was designed so we get stuff first, and they have to wait. Yet you can go to any European electronics store, they will sell you a region-free dvd player, and all TVs can play both PAL/NTSC. Yet if I go to Europe and buy a disc there, I can’t play the disc here. Why???!!!
It seems all these technologies hinder the honest person. The person that won’t rip a disc and upload it to the internet. All these steps taken to prevent theft will not deter nor stop clever crackers out there from releasing code that will circumvent it.
No matter what is done, it will be cracked. It is a matter of time. For the people that are truly determined to do it for the fun of cracking, or just because they have no respect of the law is a small percentage of the population that is honest, that will buy it legitimately, and use it for themselves.
Yes it is easier to steal software online, but no matter what form of activation companies use to enforce the licence it becomes a nuisance for the person that actually bought the software. They say the process takes only a few minutes, but I have had times where it took several minutes only because the activation server was down, I had to go up, go through hoops with the automated system which didn’t recognise anything, then transferred to a human, give them a 50 digit code only to get a 50 digit code back in response. And if I change any hardware it deactivates! I mean, what the fuck?
I know this rant is beyond the scope of DRM in the sense of FairPlay as Mr Job s presented with music, but it really goes beyond it with movies, software, and television. This is now a society where everyone is treated like a criminal, and they can lock out your software just because they think you violated their licence. All without a trial and proof. I can go on and on and on with this rant, but I don’t want to get myself too angry right before bed, so I’ll end it here!
Thanks for the read, I am really glad Steve Jobs posted this. I hope the executives of the RIAA, MPAA, BSA, and the rest of the industries that practice some form of DRM will listen and start trusting that people don’t all have nefarious schemes planned.
Excellent comment Jonathan. You’re right on, all this copy protection is just a pain in consumer’s eyes. The real thieves are getting away without dealing with all this crap, while the Average Joe who wants to watch a non-Disney movie is struggling to get it on his iPod. Copy protection only penalizes the people who abide by it, everyone else just circumvents it.
You talking about XP? I’ve been through that a number of times. You know what the funny thing is? Even if you have a pirated copy you can get them to give you a new key and activation key. You just have to make up a story that you bought it on eBay or something. Shows how pointless the protection really is.
It really is an excellent read. I’m glad Steve Jobs is so open minded about DRM. As I said on del.icio.us, I’d buy all my music online from iTunes, if they dropped Fairplay.
Yes I was referring to XP and Office. For some reason, my network here (corporate and the cable modem) just refuses to connect. I can ping anything, but the activation wizard claims it found no network connection.
9 of 10 times they don’t even ask me why I am re-activating. If they do ask, I said I said the computer broke and reinstalled it in new hardware. Or some variation. And they usually just ask for the first six digits with the human. I wish there was a way to get to the human first.
I am actually surprised a key-generator hasn’t been made yet to give yourself a new activation code.
Steve Jobs just pulled out a stunt. If he so cares abt DRM, y dont he licence their DRM to others, so that music from itunes can be played on any player. He wont do it, everyone knows it. He is just diverting peoples attention by playing GOD, which he will never be. One fine example: Disney content. Why dont he release it DRM free, which is pretty much under his control. Cmon guys wake up.
Finally! Mr. Jobs finally warms up to the nature of the Internet.
This is great news.
This article reminds me of what I read in my Cultural Anthropology textbook last night about the death penalty. The death penalty was instituted to reduce the crime rate, but it just didn’t work; in fact, it had the opposite effect. It’s really the same with this “copy protection” stuff–DRM, Windoze activation, etc.–it’s the hypothetical solution with no factual basis, and it just won’t work.
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