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List:       systalk
Subject:    [Systalk]Microsoft and DRM
From:       Andrew Butitta <lrd_dragoth () yahoo ! com>
Date:       2001-12-13 5:44:21
[Download RAW message or body]

Hi all.

I found a disturbing bit of news tonight that I'd like to share with you all.
Microsoft has been granted a patent for a Digital Rights Management Operating
System. Great. So what is Digital Rights Management (or DRM)?

DRM is a scheme hatched by MS and the RIAA after the Napster "fiasco." (Even
though sales figures from the RIAA's own web site show increased sales while
Napster lived...) DRM is integrated into Microsoft's Windows Media Player. It
currently only affects Windows Media files (.asf, .wmv and .wma). Because these
formats are MS-only, they have remained reletively obscure. With Windows XP,
the user is prompted repeatedly to change their MP3 collection (which have no
DRM) over to Microsoft's proprietary format to the tune of "get more disk space
back."

Hey, guy. Look at this nice supermodel while I steal your wallet.

Recently, MS also announced that it has strong-armed -- err.. 'partnered with'
90% of DVD decoder chip manufacturers to get Windows Media Video to be a
supported playback format.

Back to the DRM Operating System. This OS would not allow a user to run
*anything* (broadly defined as 'content' in the patent) without express
approval (and most likely some money).

Here are links to the articles in question, courtesy of Slashdot:

"Microsoft Patents Digital Rights Management OS"
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/12/12/1931218=thread

"DVD Player Chipsets to support Windows Media files"
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/12/12/1357232=thread

And here is the actual patent:
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2=HITOFF=1=/netahtml/search-adv.htm=1=G=50=CR99=5,892,900.UREF.=ref/5,892,900=REF/5,892,900



I don't care what reasons MSFT or its legions of apologists have to justify
these moves; the last thing I want is a computer that works against me.


My suggestions:

1. Try Linux.

2. Buy a Macintosh.

3. Keep Windows XP. Pay out the nose later.


Sorry about the harsh tone, friends, but this is something *we* are going to
have to stand against, since our government is obviously more than willing to
roll over like a lame dog when faced with these circumstances.

-Andy

=====
Mild-mannered sysadmin by day,
root by night.

darwin_tcsh:> bill gates
OK? kill gates? _

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