BrianAndPamela.com

Link to Lawrence Lessig

Larry Lessig (more about him later) has essentially told Steve Jobs to put his money where his mouth is.  After Jobs’ “blog heard round the world” telling Big Content to back off and allow iTunes to sell music unDRMed, Lessig notes that there is music on iTunes that isn’t controlled by the Big Four, including some CreativeCommons stuff where the artists actually requested that iTunes skip the DRM.  Apple refused.  Now Steve has made the pronouncement… let’s see if he follows through.  The particular artist that Lessig mentions is Colin Mutchler, who you should also check out.

Link to Apple - Thoughts on Music

I made a bold statement back in October that the only people that are inconvenienced are legitimate customers.  That people who are serious about stealing music are going to do it anyway.  I'm not by any means the only one saying it.  Bloggers have been saying it.  DefectiveByDesign has been saying it.  The EFF says it. Bill Gates said it.

Now one of the biggest names in Digital Music is saying the same .  Arguably THE biggest name in digital media distribution, Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc. released what amounts to a blog post today in which he says exactly that. (more…)

Link to Privately, Hollywood admits DRM isn't about piracy

Ken Fisher has a good little piece over at Ars Technca about DRM.  He's basically saying what we've all been saying for a while now.  DRM isn't about piracy for Hollywood, it's about profit. 

DRM is about nickle and diming away what used to be "fair-use".  I won't repeat all of Fisher's arguments, but quite telling is his link to a Business Week article by Ron Grover.  Grover quotes an anonymous Hollywood exec complaining that Apples DRM policies are already too lax, because you can authorize up to five devices on one iTunes account.  Quoth the exec, "His [Steve Jobs] user rules scare the heck out of us."  Why?  Because I might lend my authorization to a friend?  The way I might lend a DVD? 

I've got more to write about DRM, maybe it's time for another long DRM rant, but not today.  Lucky you.

Link to Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Bill Gates On The Future Of DRM

Microsoft had a couple of bloggers up to Redmond to meet with (among other people) Bill Gates.  Mike Arrington is reporting in TechCrunch that in response to a question about DRM, Gates responded that he agreed DRM had major issues.

Quoth Techcrunch (quoting Gates…how's that for fourth hand sources?):

Gates said that no one is satisfied with the current state of DRM, which “causes too much pain for legitmate buyers” while trying to distinguish between legal and illegal uses. He says no one has done it right, yet. There are “huge problems” with DRM, he says, and “we need more flexible models, such as the ability to “buy an artist out for life” (not sure what he means). He also criticized DRM schemes that try to install intelligence in each copy so that it is device specific.

His short term advice: “People should just buy a cd and rip it. You are legal then.”

You heard the man… what are you waiting for?  Rip…Mix…Burn, baby burn.

Have you seen the marketing "feel" for Microsoft's new Zune portable media device?  Clearly, it has a different feel than what Apple has put together for the iPod.  I'm not sure I like it at all.  To be fair, I'm probably not in the target demographic for either player, but still the iPod marketing has always been fresh and appealing.  Apple marketing shows the device it in the hands of fresh young hipsters having fun.  The Zune "feel" is much grittier and earthier, and I'm not sure in a good way.  It is pictured in the hands of tough looking gangsta types and people with lots of bare feet.  (Did they pay too much for the Zune?  Can't they afford shoes?)   Let's compare the two.

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One of the things I try to do here in my little corner of the net is to educate. There are issues out there that get very little attention in the normal world press, and those issues are really very important to all of us. Decisions on issues like net neutrality, freedom of information exchange, copyright and IP law will set precedent now and shape the future of the entire world. October 3rd is the International Day Against DRM which makes this a great time to explain why DRM, something that seems so helpful and benign, is actually capable of eroding the very fabric of freedom. You think that was a little extreme? Read on… (more…)