On 12/06/07, Richard Lockwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Andy,
You've completely missed the point of my argument.
Quite possible, sorry.
3. While you're "under the impression", we'll save this argument for
another time. Although I think you'll find that BBC provided copy can
be viewed / listened to under most OS formats, not just Windows XP.
Certainly my Mum "listens again" to Radio 4 on her Mac.
Does iPlayer run on the Mac?
The point remains there are open and freely implementable solutions.
If something can not be achieved using an open standard could you say what?
Can't fix something if we don't know it's broken can we now.
4. DRM is being neither scrapped, nor scraped. (Whatever scraping of
DRM is) It's still being used. It's being broken, true. Yes, I
quite agree with you about a file on your personal machine. I think
we also agree about fair use. (We should probably take this
particular one off-list) However, fair use is, well, fair use.
Piracy is different.
Scraping is like scrapping only it's performed by someone who can't
spell and thinks that spell checks can actually detect what I meant to
type. ;)
5. ...and then you spoil your reaonable arguments by going off into
one. What you can't argue with is the fact that the BBC is
constrained by the legal requirements (copyright et al) placed on the
content by third parties. The BBC cannot simply take a unilateral
decision to make all information free - it provides a large percentage
of its content by negotiating how it'll be used from third parties.
Did the content producers say "Only use Windows Media DRM", if so I
think this is a matter the European Courts would be interested in. It
could well violate competition law. In fact if the BBC has been told
it can only use Microsoft DRM then that agreement may be prohibited
under the Competition Act 1998.
If it was told "use any DRM", they why can't it implement an openly
specified DRM scheme. It's not exactly hard is it.
Did you completely miss the section about all the technological things
the BBC needs being already specified in open formats and protocols?
DRM is very simple to implement, simple put an XML header at the front
of the media file detailing what can or can not be done with content.
Job Done.
So it can be bypassed but then all software implemented DRM has that
flaw there is nothing that can be done about it feasibly. (unless you
are going to convince Intel and AMD to change their entire chip design
to add a feature none of their customers want, I'll wait while they
laugh you out of their office).
That's the main point - the BBC is the wrong target here.
No, the BBC is the right target. They chose the implementation.
Admittedly the freethebbc.info letter and my views differ at this point.
They seem to want All DRM systems scraped. I am willing to accept DRM
provided it is not damaging to my system (don't put a dodgy root kit
on my system that let's viruses in, hi Sony!), and that it is openly
specified so I can produce my own implementation should I so choose.
Your target
should be people like, like, well, like yourself. Come up with a
model that can cope with:
a) Giving data away for free, and
b) Compensating the creators of that data
and you're fu**ing laughing.
Unfortunately it is a bit of a long time since I did economics, but here goes.
Why do we need price on anything? Why can't we all have everything we want?
Well the problem is if I posses X amount of gold it diminishes other
peoples ability to posses gold. Only a finite amount of resources
exist.
This is called the problem of "scarce resources", and is the main
problem in economics. Now how do we solve this problem, the current
system we use in this country is one of price. In effect each person
get tokens (we call it money, but money is just an abstract concept)
and we trade our tokens in exchange for other goods. Not everyone can
get everything due to lack of tokens. Thus we restrict the amount of
items flowing so we do not need an infinite amount of the items.
Where am I going with this you ask?
Well if we don't know what price is for how do we know when we need it?
We need price or some other factor for distributing scarce resources,
that makes sense.
What is a scarce resource? Anything with a finite supply.
Now we get onto media, Music, TV, Film and the like. Are they scarce resources?
Well the distribution media itself may be but the content itself?
Nope, it can be infinitely replicated (in a technical manner here, not
legal manner).
Thus as it does not qualify as a scarce resources why should it have a
price attached to it?
You talk of compensating the creators. You seem to be under the
impression that we live in a meritocracy and that people are payed
money based on their worth. This is NOT the case. If you want to
implement this kind of system do so, be my guest it is a fairer system
but it is extremely difficult to implement.
Hows that?
On a more direct note I was not saying give content away for free, how
does it harm the creator to let my view said content on a Linux box
when it does not harm them to allow it to be played on a Windows box?
Another flaw in your reasoning which is highly common, a
misunderstanding really, is the argument that people wanting to remove
DRM systems means that the creators must give things away for free.
This is not true. You do not need to use DRM to monetise something you
can always use legal protections instead of using poorly implemented
technical ones.
And it isn't free if I have to pay for it which I do!
I admit that many people on that website do not pay the license fee as
they reside outside the UK, why they thing they have a claim over BBC
content I don't know.
I am a license fee payer and thus I don't see why the BBC is permitted
to enter into anti-competitive agreements with foreign private
entities.
I think the only real way of solving this problem is a full impartial
public enquiry with a guarantee that it will be backed by legal action
against the BBC and the employees responsible in the event any wrong
doing is found. (and that's a big if)
Andy
--
First they ignore you
then they laugh at you
then they fight you
then you win.
- Mohandas Gandhi
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