Re: DRM

[Michal Suchanek]

On 11/5/05, Alfred M. Szmidt <address@hidden> wrote:
>    I do not believe that the DRM technology is evil per se. I strongly
>    dislike DRM, but I believe that an author should be able to control
>    the use of their work within the limits and framework of copyright.
>
> The author can already do that: don't share it to begin with.  What he
> shouldn't be allowed to do is dictate how people who he has shared
> that information with are supposed to handle it.

I think the author should be able to set the terms under which his
work can be used. However, he should not be able to enforce the terms
for centuries or even forever.
The problem I see in DRM is it sets the terms for the authors,
disallowing uses guaranteed by law, and prohibiting the circumvention
of copy protection even if you do have the right to make a copy.
If you can make DRM without these restrictions it is "not evil per
se". But I think that it is not technically possible, and that the
very reason why DRM is pushed so strongly is that it does enforce more
restrictions (and make it possible to sell old content on and on
forever).


Thanks

Michal

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