> > In time it'll be able to go back to rights holders and say "look, > > piracy has not gone through the roof since we launched non-DRM > > versions of iPlayer, meanwhile usage has gone through the roof (10x > > increase), we're fighting a losing battle on the iPhone - this is an > > arms race we can't win, but which delivers negative user benefit. > > Let's just ditch the DRM for downloads too and see what happens" > > > I'd like to believe in this but it seems like a fairy tale to me. Why > didn't the BBC go to rights holders with this at the start?
cos the start was in 2003/4, at which point in time the world looked very different to both the BBC and to rights holders > > One step at a time, innit. > > > When will the first step happen? - When the inventor of iPlayer leaves the BBC to deploy Windows DRM elsewhere i.e. July 2007 http://digital-lifestyles.info/2007/07/20/ben-lavender-iplayer-inventor-leaving-bbc-today/ http://www.richardallan.org.uk/?p=545 - When the relevant BBC Director makes a public statement that the ideal solution is for the BBC not to use DRM at all. i.e. the 17th Nov 2007 http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20071118205358171 - When the BBC launches a version of iPlayer which does not use DRM. i.e. 13th Dec 2007 http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/13/drm-free-iplayer/ (would that be your blog, dave?) - When the BBC launches another version of iPlayer which does not use DRM i.e. 7th March 2008 iPhoneiPlayer launch Maybe I'm a gullible fool, but I'd say the signs are basically positive - though I can see from your perspective that the BBC isn't moving fast enough. It's not moving away from DRM fast enough for my liking, either, but I take the view that's it's a good thing that it's moving in the right direction, rather than a bad thing that it's not perfect... Oh, and the way to exert maximum pressure is to question its rights strategy, not its technology strategy, since the latter follows the former.* -Tom (views expressed are personal etc etc) * The BBC kinda forgot that it gave the UK huge value when it was bold enough to act as a leader in media technology - though i think there are positive signs here, too, with the public murmurings about Freeview IP hybrids, and the P2P Next project http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/02/p2p_next.html - Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. Unofficial list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
