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oneirophreniaRecently, the news has been seething with information concerning Sony's ridiculous DRM "rootkit" that more or less infects Windows (and now, apparently, Mac OS) computers and basically take control of certain functions on your machine to handle certain "protected" content. If you want all the details, you need merely Google the subject or consult The Register or CNet's New.com for the complete scoop, as it is far too complex to cover here.
Suffice to say, though, this little revelation has only compounded my growing hatred for the music "industry." It's bad enough that many online music stores riddle their mp3s with DRM schemes that more or less chain those purchased files to one or more specific computers and, in many cases, disallow you to properly back up the files to, say, CD-R because that breaks the DRM. It's also bad enough that many DRM schemes can be changed "on the fly" to further restrict the usage of already-purchased materials (Apple's iTunes Music Store did just this a little while ago when it agreed to further limit the number of times one can purchase ITMS playlists to CDs, whether those files were purchased before the new limit went into effect or not). Now Sony is, in effect, infecting certain CDs covered by their "copy protection" scheme with what amounts to a hacker's backdoor tool to let them reach into your machine, in effect, and fiddle around with things. Wow. That scheme isn't so much an implementation of Digital Rights Management as it is a blatant breach of an individual's digital security.
Now, you all know my feelings when it comes to shunning the iTunes Music Store and other such outlets for DRM-encrusted mp3s. The reason I do this is simply because these outlets' DRM schemes completely violate the basic legal principle of fair use and restrict my right to, say, resell or give away do with my purchased material as I so please--a concept known as "first sale" rights, as defined in current copyright law. For instance, I've bought a LOT of CDs in the past--and still do. Once I've paid for those CDs, I now own them, and can supposedly do what I want with them, including making a backup copy, ripping them to mp3s so I can store them and listen to them on my computer (and car stereo or iPod or what-have-you), and giving them away to friends or trading them in at the Exchange. You can't do anything like that with DRMed digital files. That really bugs me.
So, what to do? All the big music labels these days are pushing for greater and greater restrictions--hell, Sony is going so far as to publish CDs with built-in trojans, for all intents and purposes, to compromise your own computer's security. Brilliant. Why would ANYone with an interest in consumer's rights bother to give these companies money? And you know it's got to be bad when these various labels' own artists--like the Dave Matthews Band, and Firehouse--have posted instructions on their own websites informing fans how to get around this crap so you can enjoy their music in any way you like!
The best way to fight these measures is to simply boycott companies and individual CD releases that pull this kind of copy-protection bullshit--which would prettymuch be any "major label" like Sony, Virgin, and so forth. If you knowingly pay for a CD that is laced with software that refuses to let you play it in your computer, say, or rip the contents to mp3 to put on your iPod, then you deserve what you get. But how do you even KNOW? Some of these CDs are barely labelled with the necessary information to tell you what you're getting into! Fortunately, the net is here to help. Here's a list of so-called "corrupt" CDs prepared by the Campaign for Digital Rights and another to let you know what CDs out there have copy-protection schemes that could potentially damage your computer or simply restrict your rights to do with purchased material what you will.
Now, I've seen a few CDs I've purchased on those lists. That scared me. Who knows what malicious software I may have inadvertently installed on my computer just by ripping the goddamned things? I wasn't aware at the time that some of these CDs were "copy-protected," mainly because there are NO INDICATIONS on them that they are copy-protected. I didn't have trouble ripping them, but I assume that's because the handful of copy-protected CDs I own are all fairly old and utilize older, outdated protection schemes that only work when, say, one is trying to duplicate a protected CD in Nero or another disk-duplicating package.
Nonetheless, to protect myself as a consumer, from this day forth, I patently refuse to give any of my money to major labels that in any way employ these kind of devious tricks. Fuck them. I'm aware that not every major-label release is cluttered up with copy-protection schemes at present, but...how can I be sure? Never trust a Big Name Company, people. It's bad enough that Xerox laser printers print weird tracking codes on every sheet of paper that comes through them--who knows WHAT kind of bullshit some of the Big Media companies are willing to try behind consumers' backs?
Now, I'm not about to get all self-righteous and talk shit on people who still want to buy major-label CDs--but please, people, be aware of what you might be setting yourself up for. You, as a consumer in the United States, have a right to know these things, and you should all be educated consumers and check stuff out before you start handing your money over to big businesses.
Feel free to consult
Suffice to say, though, this little revelation has only compounded my growing hatred for the music "industry." It's bad enough that many online music stores riddle their mp3s with DRM schemes that more or less chain those purchased files to one or more specific computers and, in many cases, disallow you to properly back up the files to, say, CD-R because that breaks the DRM. It's also bad enough that many DRM schemes can be changed "on the fly" to further restrict the usage of already-purchased materials (Apple's iTunes Music Store did just this a little while ago when it agreed to further limit the number of times one can purchase ITMS playlists to CDs, whether those files were purchased before the new limit went into effect or not). Now Sony is, in effect, infecting certain CDs covered by their "copy protection" scheme with what amounts to a hacker's backdoor tool to let them reach into your machine, in effect, and fiddle around with things. Wow. That scheme isn't so much an implementation of Digital Rights Management as it is a blatant breach of an individual's digital security.
Now, you all know my feelings when it comes to shunning the iTunes Music Store and other such outlets for DRM-encrusted mp3s. The reason I do this is simply because these outlets' DRM schemes completely violate the basic legal principle of fair use and restrict my right to, say, resell or give away do with my purchased material as I so please--a concept known as "first sale" rights, as defined in current copyright law. For instance, I've bought a LOT of CDs in the past--and still do. Once I've paid for those CDs, I now own them, and can supposedly do what I want with them, including making a backup copy, ripping them to mp3s so I can store them and listen to them on my computer (and car stereo or iPod or what-have-you), and giving them away to friends or trading them in at the Exchange. You can't do anything like that with DRMed digital files. That really bugs me.
So, what to do? All the big music labels these days are pushing for greater and greater restrictions--hell, Sony is going so far as to publish CDs with built-in trojans, for all intents and purposes, to compromise your own computer's security. Brilliant. Why would ANYone with an interest in consumer's rights bother to give these companies money? And you know it's got to be bad when these various labels' own artists--like the Dave Matthews Band, and Firehouse--have posted instructions on their own websites informing fans how to get around this crap so you can enjoy their music in any way you like!
The best way to fight these measures is to simply boycott companies and individual CD releases that pull this kind of copy-protection bullshit--which would prettymuch be any "major label" like Sony, Virgin, and so forth. If you knowingly pay for a CD that is laced with software that refuses to let you play it in your computer, say, or rip the contents to mp3 to put on your iPod, then you deserve what you get. But how do you even KNOW? Some of these CDs are barely labelled with the necessary information to tell you what you're getting into! Fortunately, the net is here to help. Here's a list of so-called "corrupt" CDs prepared by the Campaign for Digital Rights and another to let you know what CDs out there have copy-protection schemes that could potentially damage your computer or simply restrict your rights to do with purchased material what you will.
Now, I've seen a few CDs I've purchased on those lists. That scared me. Who knows what malicious software I may have inadvertently installed on my computer just by ripping the goddamned things? I wasn't aware at the time that some of these CDs were "copy-protected," mainly because there are NO INDICATIONS on them that they are copy-protected. I didn't have trouble ripping them, but I assume that's because the handful of copy-protected CDs I own are all fairly old and utilize older, outdated protection schemes that only work when, say, one is trying to duplicate a protected CD in Nero or another disk-duplicating package.
Nonetheless, to protect myself as a consumer, from this day forth, I patently refuse to give any of my money to major labels that in any way employ these kind of devious tricks. Fuck them. I'm aware that not every major-label release is cluttered up with copy-protection schemes at present, but...how can I be sure? Never trust a Big Name Company, people. It's bad enough that Xerox laser printers print weird tracking codes on every sheet of paper that comes through them--who knows WHAT kind of bullshit some of the Big Media companies are willing to try behind consumers' backs?
Now, I'm not about to get all self-righteous and talk shit on people who still want to buy major-label CDs--but please, people, be aware of what you might be setting yourself up for. You, as a consumer in the United States, have a right to know these things, and you should all be educated consumers and check stuff out before you start handing your money over to big businesses.
Feel free to consult
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Recently, the news has been seething with information concerning Sony's ridiculous DRM "rootkit" that more or less infects Windows (and now, apparently, Mac OS) computers and basically take control of certain functions on your machine to handle certain "protected" content. If you want all the details, you need merely Google the subject or consult <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk">The Register</a> or <a href="http://www.news.com">CNet's New.com</a> for the complete scoop, as it is far too complex to cover here.
Suffice to say, though, this little revelation has only compounded my growing hatred for the music "industry." It's bad enough that many online music stores riddle their mp3s with DRM schemes that more or less chain those purchased files to one or more specific computers and, in many cases, disallow you to properly back up the files to, say, CD-R because that breaks the DRM. It's also bad enough that many DRM schemes can be changed "on the fly" to further restrict the usage of already-purchased materials (Apple's iTunes Music Store did just this a little while ago when it agreed to further limit the number of times one can purchase ITMS playlists to CDs, whether those files were purchased before the new limit went into effect or not). Now Sony is, in effect, infecting certain CDs covered by their "copy protection" scheme with what amounts to a hacker's backdoor tool to let them reach into your machine, in effect, and fiddle around with things. Wow. That scheme isn't so much an implementation of Digital Rights Management as it is a blatant breach of an individual's digital security.
Now, you all know my feelings when it comes to shunning the iTunes Music Store and other such outlets for DRM-encrusted mp3s. The reason I do this is simply because these outlets' DRM schemes completely violate the basic legal principle of <a href="http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/fair_use_and_drm.html">fair use</a> and restrict my right to, say, resell or give away do with my purchased material as I so please--a concept known as <a href="http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/guide/">"first sale" rights</a>, as defined in current copyright law. For instance, I've bought a LOT of CDs in the past--and still do. Once I've paid for those CDs, I now own them, and can supposedly do what I want with them, including making a backup copy, ripping them to mp3s so I can store them and listen to them on my computer (and car stereo or iPod or what-have-you), and giving them away to friends or trading them in at the Exchange. You can't do anything like that with DRMed digital files. That really bugs me.
So, what to do? All the big music labels these days are pushing for greater and greater restrictions--hell, Sony is going so far as to publish CDs with built-in trojans, for all intents and purposes, to compromise your own computer's security. Brilliant. Why would ANYone with an interest in consumer's rights bother to give these companies money? And you <i>know</i> it's got to be bad when these various labels' <i>own artists</i>--like the Dave Matthews Band, and Firehouse--have posted instructions on their own websites informing fans how to get around this crap so you can enjoy their music in any way you like!
The best way to fight these measures is to simply boycott companies and individual CD releases that pull this kind of copy-protection bullshit--which would prettymuch be any "major label" like Sony, Virgin, and so forth. If you knowingly pay for a CD that is laced with software that refuses to let you play it in your computer, say, or rip the contents to mp3 to put on your iPod, then you deserve what you get. But how do you even KNOW? Some of these CDs are <i>barely</i> labelled with the necessary information to tell you what you're getting into! Fortunately, the net is here to help. Here's <a href="http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/bad/">a list of so-called "corrupt" CDs prepared by the Campaign for Digital Rights</a> and <a href="http://www.fatchuck.com/z3.html">another</a> to let you know what CDs out there have copy-protection schemes that could potentially damage your computer or simply restrict your rights to do with purchased material what you will.
Now, I've seen a few CDs I've purchased on those lists. That scared me. Who <i>knows</i> what malicious software I may have inadvertently installed on my computer just by ripping the goddamned things? I wasn't aware at the time that some of these CDs were "copy-protected," mainly because there are NO INDICATIONS on them that they are copy-protected. I didn't have trouble ripping them, but I assume that's because the handful of copy-protected CDs I own are all fairly old and utilize older, outdated protection schemes that only work when, say, one is trying to duplicate a protected CD in Nero or another disk-duplicating package.
Nonetheless, to protect myself as a consumer, from this day forth, I patently refuse to give any of my money to major labels that in any way employ these kind of devious tricks. Fuck them. I'm aware that not every major-label release is cluttered up with copy-protection schemes at present, but...how can I be sure? Never trust a Big Name Company, people. It's bad enough that Xerox laser printers print weird tracking codes on every sheet of paper that comes through them--who knows WHAT kind of bullshit some of the Big Media companies are willing to try behind consumers' backs?
Now, I'm not about to get all self-righteous and talk shit on people who still want to buy major-label CDs--but please, people, <i>be aware of what you might be setting yourself up for</i>. You, as a consumer in the United States, have a right to know these things, and you should all be <i>educated</i> consumers and check stuff out before you start handing your money over to big businesses.
Feel free to consult <a href="http://www.downhillbattle.org>Downhill Battle</a> or <a href="http://www.eff.org">the Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>'s respective websites for even more ridiculous information about Digital Rights Management schemes. Just take care to know what's out there so you don't get burnt.
Ohyeah...and boy do I feel comfortable right now owning a Sony computer. Mind you, I purchased the device long before any of this information about rootkits and whatnot came to light--but were I to be shopping for a computer right now, I sure as shit wouldn't buy a Sony. Now, there may or may not be any connection between the news and my computer purchase, but it really wouldn't surprise me if somewhere on this machine there isn't some kind of nice little chunk of code that is going to fuck something up if I rip the wrong CD in the future....Wonderful.
Suffice to say, though, this little revelation has only compounded my growing hatred for the music "industry." It's bad enough that many online music stores riddle their mp3s with DRM schemes that more or less chain those purchased files to one or more specific computers and, in many cases, disallow you to properly back up the files to, say, CD-R because that breaks the DRM. It's also bad enough that many DRM schemes can be changed "on the fly" to further restrict the usage of already-purchased materials (Apple's iTunes Music Store did just this a little while ago when it agreed to further limit the number of times one can purchase ITMS playlists to CDs, whether those files were purchased before the new limit went into effect or not). Now Sony is, in effect, infecting certain CDs covered by their "copy protection" scheme with what amounts to a hacker's backdoor tool to let them reach into your machine, in effect, and fiddle around with things. Wow. That scheme isn't so much an implementation of Digital Rights Management as it is a blatant breach of an individual's digital security.
Now, you all know my feelings when it comes to shunning the iTunes Music Store and other such outlets for DRM-encrusted mp3s. The reason I do this is simply because these outlets' DRM schemes completely violate the basic legal principle of <a href="http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/fair_use_and_drm.html">fair use</a> and restrict my right to, say, resell or give away do with my purchased material as I so please--a concept known as <a href="http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/guide/">"first sale" rights</a>, as defined in current copyright law. For instance, I've bought a LOT of CDs in the past--and still do. Once I've paid for those CDs, I now own them, and can supposedly do what I want with them, including making a backup copy, ripping them to mp3s so I can store them and listen to them on my computer (and car stereo or iPod or what-have-you), and giving them away to friends or trading them in at the Exchange. You can't do anything like that with DRMed digital files. That really bugs me.
So, what to do? All the big music labels these days are pushing for greater and greater restrictions--hell, Sony is going so far as to publish CDs with built-in trojans, for all intents and purposes, to compromise your own computer's security. Brilliant. Why would ANYone with an interest in consumer's rights bother to give these companies money? And you <i>know</i> it's got to be bad when these various labels' <i>own artists</i>--like the Dave Matthews Band, and Firehouse--have posted instructions on their own websites informing fans how to get around this crap so you can enjoy their music in any way you like!
The best way to fight these measures is to simply boycott companies and individual CD releases that pull this kind of copy-protection bullshit--which would prettymuch be any "major label" like Sony, Virgin, and so forth. If you knowingly pay for a CD that is laced with software that refuses to let you play it in your computer, say, or rip the contents to mp3 to put on your iPod, then you deserve what you get. But how do you even KNOW? Some of these CDs are <i>barely</i> labelled with the necessary information to tell you what you're getting into! Fortunately, the net is here to help. Here's <a href="http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/bad/">a list of so-called "corrupt" CDs prepared by the Campaign for Digital Rights</a> and <a href="http://www.fatchuck.com/z3.html">another</a> to let you know what CDs out there have copy-protection schemes that could potentially damage your computer or simply restrict your rights to do with purchased material what you will.
Now, I've seen a few CDs I've purchased on those lists. That scared me. Who <i>knows</i> what malicious software I may have inadvertently installed on my computer just by ripping the goddamned things? I wasn't aware at the time that some of these CDs were "copy-protected," mainly because there are NO INDICATIONS on them that they are copy-protected. I didn't have trouble ripping them, but I assume that's because the handful of copy-protected CDs I own are all fairly old and utilize older, outdated protection schemes that only work when, say, one is trying to duplicate a protected CD in Nero or another disk-duplicating package.
Nonetheless, to protect myself as a consumer, from this day forth, I patently refuse to give any of my money to major labels that in any way employ these kind of devious tricks. Fuck them. I'm aware that not every major-label release is cluttered up with copy-protection schemes at present, but...how can I be sure? Never trust a Big Name Company, people. It's bad enough that Xerox laser printers print weird tracking codes on every sheet of paper that comes through them--who knows WHAT kind of bullshit some of the Big Media companies are willing to try behind consumers' backs?
Now, I'm not about to get all self-righteous and talk shit on people who still want to buy major-label CDs--but please, people, <i>be aware of what you might be setting yourself up for</i>. You, as a consumer in the United States, have a right to know these things, and you should all be <i>educated</i> consumers and check stuff out before you start handing your money over to big businesses.
Feel free to consult <a href="http://www.downhillbattle.org>Downhill Battle</a> or <a href="http://www.eff.org">the Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>'s respective websites for even more ridiculous information about Digital Rights Management schemes. Just take care to know what's out there so you don't get burnt.
Ohyeah...and boy do I feel comfortable right now owning a Sony computer. Mind you, I purchased the device long before any of this information about rootkits and whatnot came to light--but were I to be shopping for a computer right now, I sure as shit wouldn't buy a Sony. Now, there may or may not be any connection between the news and my computer purchase, but it really wouldn't surprise me if somewhere on this machine there isn't some kind of nice little chunk of code that is going to fuck something up if I rip the wrong CD in the future....Wonderful.
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no subject
Date: 2005-11-09 04:10 am (UTC)The only way they've found around this so far is one copy protection scheme (CDS200) which renders the discs unreadable by a computer drive althogether. It's an all-or-nothing scenario, though, and no software will render it readable. There was a pretty big outcry when they tried this, so it hasn't been widely used. The only place I've run across it so far is on one disc that was a promo that I got out of the dollar bin (which plays find on my stereo, but every computer that I've tried it on chokes). I suspect in that case that the copy protection was used specifically on the promo version and not the normal release of the album.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-09 04:38 am (UTC)I remember CDS200, actually. I heard about it online a few months ago (by which time it was already months old and had vanished from radar)...but I'm actually putting together a short little informative article for the Cal U Times and my blog concerning these schemes and what you can do to avoid them. It starts out with discussing a number of copy-protection schemes and then goes into simple personal security measures you can do to avoid problems--turning off autorun is the very first. :)
just some thoughts...
Date: 2005-11-09 04:30 am (UTC)Sony Music is stupid. Sony Computer probably didn't even know that Sony music was going to do that. Sony is really too big for it's own good.
why they are stupid. The other day, a kid comes in to buy a cd at my store. it's some back-catalog something of Neil Young i think. not a pop hit or anything. he sees the new ANTI-PIRACY WARNING on the back and asks if that means its one of those new fangled DRM CDs. i tell him that it is basically just a BIG REMINDER of the law.. but that a lot of the new DRM cds won't tell you one way or the other, and i as a retailer can not be held responsible if it is. so he didn't buy the cd, because he wasn't sure if he could mp3 it or not. he wasn't a music pirate.. he wasn't going to buy it, burn it and return it. he just wanted flexibility. the music industry and my store lost that sale, and others like it because of this, and they will lose more.
i can't belive those fuckers hacked OS X. those bastards. is nothing sacred!?!?!! :D i can't find an article for that, however... ??
Re: just some thoughts...
Date: 2005-11-09 04:43 am (UTC)But your little story of the kid and the Neil Young CD is a sad sign of the times--but the kid was smart: he just wanted the ability to put the music on his iPod or a hard-drive backup (as I usually do...until, of course, the backup drive fucking dies). Any INTELLIGENT company (and believe there, are a lot of them out there) would realize that consumers simply want the right to be flexible with their purchases--and adjust their business model accordingly.
I've got a LOT more to say about the issue of downloading music and record sales, but that's an article in its own right. :) Nonetheless, thank you for bringing up the issue of "licensing"--that's something that I'll be commenting on in more depth sometime later when I've more time...but, hopefully, some other folks will talk about it here as well!