Commercial Issues, Digital Rights Management, and Licensing - A Practical Guide to Video and Audio Compression - page 312

some enthusiasts, there is an essence of challenge involved in this process. To the deter-
mined cracker, for example, the challenge is all the more rewarding if the system is dif-
ficult to break into. If it is very hard, the bragging rights are huge if you are the first one
through the door. So there is an ever-increasing spiral of move and counter-move by
each side.

18.6 Consumer Issues

If video compression is going to prosper as an industry, then it is important to protect the
rights of content owners so that they can control who accesses the content they are mak-
ing available.
From the consumer point of view, a somewhat unhealthy disrespect for content own-
ership has evolved over the years. This is because duplicating someone else's content is so
easy that the barriers to copyright theft are very low. Whatever arguments each side puts
up, they cannot develop a commercially viable relationship unless a compromise delivers
what they both need.
The copyright owners need protection but the purchasing user who buys a legitimate
copy must also be allowed some fair-use rights. Providing a barrier sufficient to deter
casual copyright theft is appropriate. But building a scheme that cannot eventually be
cracked or circumvented by determined software pirates is unlikely to succeed and isn't
technically possible anyway.
The Digital Living Network Alliance seeks to provide interoperability but recognizes
that this must start through a focus on the consumer's needs. This an interesting change
of emphasis.

18.7 What Rights Do We Need to Protect?

Protecting the rights of the content owners to ensure that they get a fair return on their
assets is paramount; otherwise they will not make content available. However, this pro-
tection should not be at the expense of the fair-use rights of the consumer. Describing fair
use in a legal sense is very hard because it must take context into account. Ripping a CD
into iTunes for eventual playback in an iPod seems to be acceptable. Ripping a CD into
iTunes for eventual playback in someone else's iPod is not. Ripping a DVD for playback
in a laptop seems to be frowned upon under all circumstances.

18.7.1 Yours to Own Forever?

Media companies are prone to see a new platform as an opportunity to generate an addi-
tional revenue stream by republishing old content in that new format. They feel no burden

Digital Living Network Alliance: http://www.dlna.org/home