Need your input for A/V copyright laws paper (1 Viewer)

[Thomas_Berg]

i'm writing a paper for my Computing Ethics in Today's Society class about the current copyright issues and overall BS facing the A/V world right now. i am addressing the issues of SACD/DVD-A digital passage, HDCP and IEEE/DVI, and the rewritable DVD standards war. i am looking for helpful websites, etc to document as sources along with quotes/articles submitted by the good people of this forum. i know many of you feel strongly about this issue (as i do) and hopefully can contribute something.
if you feel there is another pressing issue i am not addressing (that pertains to this topic), please feel free to share that as well. thank you all in advance!

 

[Bob_J_M]

Given that it's an Ethics class, I'd think the tension between copy protection and "Fair Use" would be the most appropriate topic. Do a Google on "Fair Use." Standford Law School has a good page o' links, plus a good primer on Fair Use.

A totally different slant would involve the ethical issues surrounding the design of the copy protection systems. E.g.: If the consumer electronics industry designs a system into a new product that allows a content provider to have control over compatibility between this product and earlier products that were sold by the consumer electronics industry (sold with the implied promise of future compatibility), then who is responsible for the incompatibility when and if it arises? Is the choice by the consumer electronics industry an ethical one? This is a deceptively complex question.

Some terminology:

DVI/HDCP (the new version of which in under development and will be called HDMI) is a secure DVI connection (encrypted full bandwith hi-def video)

1394/5C is a secure 1394 connection. 1394 is also known as IEEE1394, Firewire or i-Link. 5C is also known as DTCP. The combination of the two is also known as DTVLink.

PHILA is an example of a licensing agreement that brings everything together. It controls the use of the above output connections as well as any HD analog output connections. PHILA is only for cable, but similar "master licenses" exist for other distribution channels.

 

[John Miles]

Also, don't miss the lead story on K5 right now: Macaulay on Copyright. Not much new under the sun, it turns out.