CPRM and the DMCA

[oratem]

First of all, I want to thank the authors of this site for providing links to information about CPRM.

I too am very skeptical about this. My understanding from the sketchy information available is that CPRM would qualify as a copy protection scheme as defined in the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Therefore, it would be illegal in the United States to create or use any devices or software that circumvent CPRM. Given how the MPAA has leveraged another copy protection scheme, the CSS code scheme on DVD movies, to do much more than just protect against piracy, I'm worried about the ways that CPRM might be similarly leveraged to exert control over what we are free to do with our computers. If this is the case, their scheme would be bulletproof courtesy of the D.M.C.A.

I was hoping that y'all might be able to research this and maybe write up an article exploring the ways that they might possibly leverage CPRM.

Thank you,

Oratem

P.S. I love the site and I'm recommending that all of our level 1 techs use the guide as a learning tool.

[Paleo Pete]

Thanks for the compliments, on behalf of all of us. Everyone here does a great job, and I for one learn more working with the forums than I ever could by continuing to read through two boxes of books for a third or fourth time.

I agree with companies' efforts to reduce software piracy, but certainly not with the methods they are willing to use, and force us to submit to. While outright stealing of software or digital media, which piracy is, certainly is a problem, the individual user should have the right to make duplicate copies of any software legally acquired for backup purposes, or for instance to listen to while driving. If fire, flood or other disaster should cause loss of computer or CD's, floppies etc, the user should be able to have backup copies stored in a safe location. Whether this would be possible according to the information released so far is very questionable at best.

I, for one, don't trust them any further than I could throw them...

By the way, I moved this post to the PC World forum, where it would be more appropriate.

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