Congress: "Merry Chrismas! We're Turning Off Your Analog Outs"
Alex Curtis
Public Knowledge
December 16, 2005
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/19
The House Judiciary Committee today introduced a bill (HR 4569)
to close the analog hole.
http://www.publicknowledge.org/issues/hr4569
Here's what we had to say about the draft version of the bill.
http://www.publicknowledge.org/news/analysis/content-protection-in-the-digital-age
The government is proposing that devices (consumer electronics,
computers, software) manufactured after a certain date respond to
a copy-protection signal or watermark in a digital video stream,
and pass along that signal when converting the video to analog.
The same goes for analog video streams, to pass on the protection
to the digital video outputs.
The technology Congress is proposing (VEIL) is derived from one
that originated with assorted interactive Batman toys that
allowed the toys to respond to Batman television shows or videos.
How cool-at least for toys.
So, essentially, the government wants your future TV, TiVo,
computer, cell phone, Final Cut Pro, (input your favorite analog
signal viewing / converting device here) to respond to the Bat
Signal.
There are some details in the legislation that have yet to be
fully understood, concerning protection of content that is
supported by business models ( prerecorded media, video on
demand, pay-per-view, subscription-on-demand) and "undefined"
business models. And much of the process has to be approved, not
by the FCC, but by the Patent and Trademark Office. Why the
USPTO? Not because they're an "expert agency" like the FCC, but
because the bill was introduced in the Judiciary Committee, which
doesn't necessarily have jurisdiction over the FCC.
Perhaps needless to say, Public Knowledge is against government
mandated DRM and other similar tech mandates.