[free-sklyarov] Better crypto for eBooks?

[Christopher R. Maden]

At 10:41 24-07-2001, Marvin wrote:
>Perhaps I am not imaginative enough, but if it's on my own general purpose
>computer, I can't see how any eBook kind of coding could prevent the use
>of generalized tools evolving to rip the contents right off the screen it
>is being viewed on.

You're absolutely right.  Information is unlike a physical artifact in that 
when you give it to someone, you instantly create a copy, rather than 
transferring it.

In terms of digital information, the only secure form of an ebook is a 
handheld device, like the Rocket eBook (or the other things now from 
Gemstar).  You can use private-key encryption with the private key burned 
into the hardware of the physical device, with no means of transferring 
content from the device to another computer.

However, even then, the information in visual and semantic form is being 
output by the screen.  The ebook can be laboriously scanned, one page at a 
time, or just transcribed by a typist.  Most of the pirated books on USENET 
are print-only bestsellers, like Harry Potter or Stephen King 
books.  Someone took the time to convert those.

If you give information to a user, you're giving them the ability (if not 
the right) to re-use that information.  Intellectual property law needs to 
be re-thought, taking this into account, within the next five years, or de 
facto there will be no restrictions on copying at all and many artists will 
find it difficult to work for their art full-time.

-crism
-- 
"You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though
it does big things badly, does small things badly too." - J.K. Galbraith
=== Freelance Text Nerd: <URL:http://crism.maden.org/> ===
PGP Fingerprint: BBA6 4085 DED0 E176 D6D4  5DFC AC52 F825 AFEC 58DA