Cory brings attention to a new Swedish documentary titled Steal This Film!. The documentary is well worth downloading since it provides a powerful illustration of the pressure that the U.S. exerts on other countries on copyright policy. Further, the film demonstrates that Sweden's political parties have begun to recognize that […]
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30 Days of DRM – Day 05: DRM Labelling and Consumer Awareness (Public Protection)
For many consumers, these DRM products are simply not fit for purpose – they often won't play on your DVD player, on your iPod, or permit usage that most would expect is permissible. Moreover, consumers frequently can't obtain a refund for their purchases as many retailers won't accept returns on opened CDs and DVDs and digital download services do not offer refunds to disgruntled downloaders.
The federal government might argue that this is provincial problem, since consumer protection issues typically fall under provincial jurisdiction. The reality, however, is that the federal government can and should play its part to address the issue.
A Role Model for Captain Copyright
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 […]
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."