As Access Copyright reworks its Captain Copyright campaign, a reader notes that an ideal role model already exists. The Learning Commons in South Africa offers Copyright, Copyleft, and Everything in Between. The program, aimed at Grade 9 students, provides precisely the kind of balance that Access Copyright will have to […]
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30 Days of DRM – Day 04: DRM Misuse Sanctions (Markets)
Last fall's Sony rootkit case, in which Sony placed hundreds of thousands of personal computers at risk for viruses and other security breaches by surreptitiously placing DRM on dozens of its music CDs, is a model illustration of the havoc that DRM misuse can generate. While the Sony case is not an abuse of dominant position case, there are good policy reasons to create disincentives to ensure that overzealous companies will not misuse DRM.
Several potential disincentives come to mind.
Spamigation
Brad Templeton had a very interesting post over the weekend on Dave Farber's list in which he characterized the RIAA lawsuit strategy as an example of spamigation – "bulk litigation that's only become practical due to the economies of scale of the computer era."
30 Days of DRM – Day 03: Oversight of DRM Misuse (Markets)
This argument is a bit technical, but important.
“Would You Trust These People?”
David Basskin, the head of the CMRRA, commenting on the recording industry as both prepare for a major hearing at the Copyright Board of Canada on online music downloads, has the following to say about the recording industry and the interests of songwriters and music publishers: "Record companies do not […]