Slashdot has a great article today about HBO’s CTO who thinks that the real reason people don’t like DRM (Digital Rights Management) is because of the name. Remember, DRM is the thing that makes it so that you can’t watch a DVD you bought in Europe here in the US. It’s the thing that makes music you download from iTunes Music Store not work on most mp3 players. It’s the thing that makes some music CDs not work in your car’s CD player. Basically, controls what you can do with content you’ve purchased, typically restricting your “fair use” rights under copyright law.
CTO Bob Zitter instead wants to use the phrase:
Digital Consumer Enablement, [which] would more accurately describe technology that allows consumers “to use content in ways they haven’t before,” such as enjoying TV shows and movies on portable video players like iPods. “I don’t want to use the term DRM any longer,” said Zitter
Of course, those of us who obtain non-DRM content can already enjoy TV shows and movies on portable players like iPods or Palm Pilots. DRM is what stands in the way of easy media transportation, not what enables it. This sort of bizarre language-changing is best seen by this Slashdot response (paraphrased):
I’m not going to call it piracy anymore. I prefer Personal Choice Enablement. PCE allows consumers (not customers, since you won’t be paying for the service) to enjoy content not only in ways they haven’t before, such as on portable video players like the iAudio A2, but at a more reasonable price than they have been offered in the past. This is also a win-win situation for the content creators as it alleviates all packaging and most distribution costs, as well as providing excellent word-of-mouth advertising for FREE!
Brilliant. Please, enjoy your new Personal Choice Enablement.
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