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Yes, DRM are a perfect example of the "Smart Cow" problem [0]. This is so obvious that, as you say (A) it's quite obscure why media companies still bother with
by bambax 2y ago
Yes, DRM are a perfect example of the "Smart Cow" problem [0]. This is so obvious that, as you say (A) it's quite obscure why media companies still bother with DRM?
The only beneficiaries of DRM seem to be hardware vendors, and even for them it's unclear if it's a net benefit, since it makes everything more expensive.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_cow_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_cow_problem
- fluidcruft 2y agoProbably advantage of DRM is that circumvention can be criminalized and absence of DRM implies circumvention.
- AnthonyMouse 2y agoWhat advantage does this have over just criminalizing the underlying infringement regardless of DRM? Also, how does criminalizing it actually help anything, since the difficulty is in the scale of it happening and the difficulty of detecting it rather than the severity of the penalties, and imposing draconian penalties on random kids only turns the public against you?
- fluidcruft 2y agoI think it plays differently before a jury. Juries can easily understand copying files and could potentially invalidate. But it's different when lawyers get to move the conversation to scary hacker garble about technical skill and intent. Evidence of intent is the real value.
- AnthonyMouse 2y agoJuries are far less incompetent than they're made out to be, not least because both sides get to describe what's happening. And you can't even get evidence of intent from this anyway because DRM circumvention tools don't actually come with a ski mask and a set of lockpicks. You install a tool called "video downloader" which supports a hundred sites and 10% of them have some kind of DRM which it automatically strips in the background, you may not even be aware that it's happening when you use it.
- fluidcruft 2y agoI did suggest that juries are incompetent. 'Why did you seek and install "video downloader"?' is a valid and specific question that gets at intent.
- AnthonyMouse 2y agoThey'd be using "video downloader" to download the videos regardless of whether they have any DRM or not.