Lots of Intellectual Property-related news today:
MySpace has announced their implementation of copy protection, aptly named “Take Down and Stay Down”, that promises to knock out user generated piracy like a prize fighter. Now identified copyrighted audio and video content will be taken from the site, fingerprinted, and blocked from reposting. The service will also feature a tool for copyright holders to discover their content on MySpace. The new service will be powered by Audible Magic, which has become a technology of choice for YouTube and Dailymotion’s anti-piracy efforts. Metacafe allegedly has their own internal IP control. GigaOm has a good roundup of some other finger printing services.
In a move that would make Orwell fans grin, HBO’s Chief Technology Officer, Bob Zitter, suggested DRM needed a name change to Digital Consumer Enablement (DCE) in a speech at The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) conference in Las Vegas. Zitter backs up the statement by highlighting the new content publishers would be willing to distribute if their rights could be secured. After the speech, Zitter spoke about HBO’s technological adventures into HD broadcasting over digital networks, noting there was still an “analog gap” where piracy could easily take place. Coming this late in the game, the statement seems like a belated attempt to put the anti-DRM cat back in the bag.
Media Rights Technologies, makers of an anti-piracy X1 SeCure Recording Control technology, has issued a cease and desist letter to Apple, Microsoft, Real, and Adobe. The letter argues the multimedia players these companies produce are in violation of the DMCA because they avoided implementing effective DRM technologies, specifically their own. The DMCA makes it illegal to circumvent technological protections that control access to copyrighted works. MRT alledges that “mere avoidance of an effective copyright protection solution is a violation of the act”. The letter also alludes to potential monetary damages of at least $200 to $2,500 per product distributed. Considering Apple iPods just crossed the 100 million mark, that’s a lot of fictional dollars on the line.
However, with the developments concerning EMI on iTunes and statements of ex-Yahoo David Goldberg, MRT may be on the wrong side of history.
Comments
5/11 is now IP Day. When will Scribd be taken down?
I don’t know. Maybe Bodog or Pickspal is running odds on that…
Alaska Miller I’m sure you’ll get even money or better on the Scribd take down issue. With Big Media getting serious about DRM Scribd has to go. In many ways Scribd is the largest copyright violator I’ve ever seen. They are ripping off complete texts at least on MySpace and YouTube we’re only talking about clips so “Fair Use” can be invoked, but with Scribd…
Hey Nick, nice story. You’ve got a bit of a mistake in there though, I think you’re missing the end of a sentence here:
The service will also feature a tool for … The new service will be powered by
i like the name change idea for DRM. Hope about someone just fire this guy already.
MRT can’t get anyone to adopt their technology so their solution is to sue?
Thank sesh. I think the sentence got cut off for some reason. fixed.
(screaming out loud in total desperation) When will these people get it???? DRM is wrong for many many reasons. But most importantly it is about changing business models and evolution and the ability to safely distribute content. Not limiting access to it.
Freaking small minded freaks!!!
It is quite surprising that giants like MySpace are not using the best technology that’s currently available. For example, Philips’ MediaHedge and other Content Clearing technology products are more flexible, can work to identify content that’s already uploaded and dynamically create a fingerprint database that media clients can use to ID their content. The technology is not rocket science but a lot of it is already patented.
Despite any DRM criticism, it’s absolutely important for media companies to ID their content on the internet for any potential revenue recognition.
I’m also surprised that it’s taking media companies so much time to create a central digital content finger print database…
My .02
“Enablement” is not a word. What a moron.
The dumb ass DRM crowd is shooting itself in the foot.
Remember when in the 80s the RIAA wanted to add a special tax to blank cassette tapes? Feared ppl would just tapes songs off radio and not buy any RIAA product, no more sales of overpriced, boring music industry albums and 12″ singles for disco remnants.
Blank cassettes did not destroy the revenue streams of the music industry. Crappy bands did that, coupled with dopey hype.
Lip synching, mashups, credited use of material only promotes the artist and the label, it will not hurt profits. The dimwits!
Protect your stupid vain Product too much, you smother it to death. Good.
I specialize in online music marketing, among a 1000 other things, and modesty I’m working on it, but anyways: “Look!” as the MSM pundit oafs say — Free generates Paid.
Free generates Paid, I say. So distribute free mp3s to as many passionate fans of your style of music as possible. Bypass the smelly old moldy big labels and RIAA clowns.
Use yr geekiness to promote yr noize.
http://www.garageband.com/artist/str8sounds
Forget the DRM name change. It’s at least somewhat descriptive what it does…
One thing I, personally, have a problem with is the term “Intellectual Property”. Property generally refers to something that you own. However, this so called intellectual property (copyright, patents, trademarks etc.) we keep referring to is actually a “temporary restriction to free speech” to benefit the society by motivating innovation.
So imo we should start calling intellectual property “intellectual lease” instead to help keep in mind that inventions and works are something that were (at least originally) intended to pass over to public domain).
I am probably the only one, but I think DRM,patents,copyright,trademark is all a good thing, i think anyone that is caught pirating software or distributing content they are not supposed to should be heavily penalised. However I think thanks to Steve Jobs, who now has a 100 million ipods out there now goes to scraping drm is a good ploy, i am sure he would not have done that with 50 ipods out there in the market place. He now has his distribution channel…smart man!
Nothing related to the post….. it was a good one…. just wondering why it was posted.
1. Its not about startups ( ya …. in some vague sense it is … but..)
2. Its not even about google
any thoughts ??
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