[free-sklyarov] Fwd: Smell Test for a Certain Unconfirmed Meeting Report

[Karsten M. Self]

on Tue, Oct 09, 2001 at 02:16:20PM -0400, Seth Johnson (seth.johnson at realmeasures.dyndns.org) wrote:
> 
> (Forwarded from p2p-legal list)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: hal at finney.org
> Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 10:38:05 -0700
> 
> This report fails the "smell test".  It sounds like the quotes have at 
> least been doctored to provide red meat to the opposition.

I disagree.

> > "The failure of the CPRM specification to be applied to computer
> > hard drives was a giant step back for the publishing, music, and
> > entertainment industry, and we will work to develop a new
> > specification that accomplishes what CPRM would have done."
> 
> CPRM was never intended to be applied to computer hard drives.  It was
> for removable media.  The reason it was added to the spec in question
> was for support of Compact Flash drives, which are accessed via the
> ATA hard disk spec but which are removable.

I can't speak to this directly but have forwarded your comments to those
who can.  My understanding is that CPRM included specific requirements
that pertain only to onboard, permanent, fixed, drives.  More data when
available.

There *was* a comment from one of the primary CPRM authors, an IBM
researcher, who stated that the technology would *always* be
circumventable via software means.  That is, unless the process was
sealed away in hardware (or encumbered by legislation), software circ
would be an avenue for bypass.

> Hence it is highly unlikely that Rosen would say that CPRM was
> intended for computer hard drives, but it feeds exactly the fears of
> the conspiracy theorists at whom this document is apparently aimed.

This is readily refutable.  I will wait for the refutation from the
other side rather than providing it ourselves.

> > "Once we stem piracy, we will be able to raise prices in order to
> > regain lost profits from piracy."
> 
> Again this is a highly improbable quote.  In the first place it is too
> obvious, everyone there would already have such thoughts in mind.  In
> the second place it can only hurt the group in the event that it was
> leaked out.  And in the third place it assumes that piracy is forcing
> them to keep prices down, which seems unlikely (although not
> impossible).

However, it makes perfect economic sense.  Let's make this perfectly
clear:

    Piracy of goods results in LOWER prices, due to market forces.

This is because the unauthorized production stream competes in the same
(or markedly similar) market with the authorized product, but faces
lower production costs.  For the longer demonstration of the same
statement, see my article on software piracy at:

    http://kmself.home.netcom.com/Rants/piracy.html

> > Sony's Heckler stated that, "Once consumers can no longer get free
> > music, they will have to buy the music in the formats we choose to
> > put out."
> 
> Again, an unlikely thing to say unless the intention is to get
> consumers riled up.

Possibly missing context, but an essential truth.  In a world in which
standards are being hijacked by corporate interests, closed standards
are a threat to both public access and free software.

Peace.

-- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself at ix.netcom.com>        http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
 What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?              Home of the brave
  http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/                    Land of the free
   Free Dmitry! Boycott Adobe! Repeal the DMCA!  http://www.freesklyarov.org
Geek for Hire                      http://kmself.home.netcom.com/resume.html
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 232 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://frotz.zork.net/pipermail/free-sklyarov/attachments/20011009/1e38460b/attachment.pgp