Roger Ebert Weighs in (so to speak) on New Copy Protection Scheme (1 Viewer)

[Steve Enemark]

This article deals with subjects not allowed around here (copy protection, bootlegging), but I think this article is worth reading:
Link Removed

 

[Brendon]

Steve,

Over here in the UK, this issue has already raised it's head. An album by Natalie Imbruglia, White Lillies Island, was released with this so called protection on.

As outlined in Mr. Ebert's article (good to know he has sound opinions on other matters than movies!), the "protected" album would not play on CD ROM drives, DVD players, PS2's etc. It also failed to play on several legitimate audio CD players, including several higher end decks.

The record company was hauled up on one of our Consumer Rights TV shows, and had to release a second version of the album without the "protection" on. Note the "protected" version of the album is till on sale in stores.

I bought this album for my girlfriend, but as we play CD's on the home theater setup, I had to search high and low to find a copy of the album without the "protection". Aside from wasting my time doing this, I object to possibly having to buy a disc and then get it home to find out if it can play on my setup.

It has also been suggested in the UK music press that grafting this so called protection onto the red book CD audio standard means that the disc is technically no longer a Compact Disc, and should no longer be allowed to carry the CD logo.

It is sad to see the see the same erosion of rights (being denied the ability to play a legitimately bought product) being attempted in the US.

Cheers,

Bren

 

[Michael St. Clair]

When Roger Ebert explains how to copy a protected "CD", if the studios don't sue him they can pretty much forget about being able to successfully sue anybody else for saying it.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Gotta love Roger! Thank God that there's a big name backing up the rest of us once in awhile.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

There are other "big names" backing us up:
http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/022802vasdasz.pdf

 

[Ted Todorov]

It has also been suggested in the UK music press that grafting this so called protection onto the red book CD audio standard means that the disc is technically no longer a Compact Disc, and should no longer be allowed to carry the CD logo.

More to the point Philips, which owns the CD logo and Compact Disc Digital Audio trademark has demanded that they not use it, and would easily previal in court if need be.
After the Grammie (sp?) awards fiasco, with the head of the music industry calling their fans and biggest customers "thieves" it is clear that the music industry (more or less the same companies as the movie industry) is completely off its rocker.
Ebert makes a superb argument for how they are killing off their best promotional tool.
Click here for the related story on slashdot.

 

[Sean Moon]

I have been saying it for years....god bless Roger Ebert

 

[Scooter]

Take a moment to review this thread for a larger view of the same issue. Dennis' link reminded me of this:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=58684
I encourage you to note who the industry's point man is in this issue.

 

[Ned]

If we all made a combined effort to stop this it wouldn't take long.

Go to your favorite record store that has a reasonable return policy (not one of these NO RETURNS IF OPENED places) and buy say, a dozen of the various protected CD's available. Take them home, open all of them, then return all of them and tell the store they don't work on your system.

After getting a few thousand returned, *opened* CD's, these stores are going to quickly sour to this new protection scheme and will strongly voice their dislike to the publishers.

No store can object to the returns as copying them is obviously IMPOSSIBLE (currently), and they certainly won't come to your house to check if you are lying about it not working.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again- as long as single-disc, normal album-length CDs are priced at $18.99, there WILL be people copying them.

I wish LPs were still $3.99.

 

[Mark E J]

I wonder does anyone remember when VCR's first came out. The MPAA fought long and hard to keep this technology from ever being sold to the public. The reason being that the device itself was a violation of copyright laws. That if people had a Video Cassette Recorder in their homes then they could record prime time programing or major sporting events, which they said violated copyright.

Then when HBO first came out around the same time the MPAA demanded that VCR's be taken off the market and replaced with VCPs (Video Cassette Players). The concept being that if you taped a movie off of HBO it would be a bootleg. I can remember when my family first got HBO the cable guy refused to install it because we had a VCR hooked up to the tv.

So has anyone here ever taped your favorite tv show? Ever taped the superbowl? Ever taped a movie off of cable? If so you were breaking the law according to the MPAA in the 70's.

Obviously that was BS, so is what the RIAA is doing now. FSP's are only illegal is because the RIAA's high priced lawyers got a Judge to say so. Ten years ago when audio cassettes were the standard it was perfectly legal to make copies and give them to as many people as you wanted. The fact that the music today is recorded digitaly shouldn't make any diffrence if you are honest.

Now I will be the first to say that FSP's should have some controls and restrictions. There should be a charge like cable and the artists should get royalties. But what the RIAA is doing now is just downright corrupt.

 

[Edwin-S]

Universal has adopted a new business model. Its called the..."we're-tired-of-you-stupid-bastards-buying-our-CDs" plan. Let's hope it is an instant success and we read about their filing for chapter 11. What the hell will the Bronfmans think of next.

 

[Christian Preischl]

Hi,

I'm surprised that this copy protection scheme is so new in the US. It's already being actively employed in Germany. And what Ebert's predicting is exactly what's happening here. People buy the CDs, copy them and the return them for a refund.

Chris