RealNetworks against the MPAA

Link above goes to: Geek.com

Quote from the Source:

Real says Hollywood is a cartel, trying to kill DMCA Fair Use
May. 18, 2009 (8:11 am) By: Rick Hodgin

The ongoing legal battle between a group of Hollywood movie studios and RealNetworks stepped up a notch. RealNetworks filed a countersuit against the DVD Copy Control Association (CCA) and all major movie movie studios claiming abusive use of power....

The story here is amazing as it's hard to comprehend exactly why there is such a battle in this area, and I like the article I'm linking to, as it puzzles over the same issue and ultimately offers some conspiracy theories.

I know, I know, people tend to dismiss conspiracies, but what if they DO exist?

I have a personal interest here myself as I produced an idea I call Digital Media Equipment Self-Encryption or DMESE for short, and introduced it on one of my other blogs near the end of January 2007.

I gave it away as open source and have since discussed it on that blog and on this one, including a post which addresses a concern I've seen mentioned in press reports about the ongoing court battle, which I called completing DMESE.

Now that post was back in early July 2007, and handles the issue by having the system ask for the DVD that was copied, again, after some period of time like 30 days to try and ensure that the DVD was purchased by the user and not borrowed.

So nearly two years ago I had a solution out on the web that answers the objection I've seen reported as the main plank of the case against RealNetworks with its copying software, which I should mention has a component that is shared with my DMESE which is that the copy is encrypted, which is where the "self-encryption" part of DMESE comes into the equation.

I'm not saying that RealNetworks used DMESE (as if they did they'd need to attribute the idea to me as that's what open source means, free, but say where you got it from) and it's a simple enough notion that I don't think that is an issue.

But consider a massive court battle costing millions of dollars and involving such massive use of resources for a problem I feel confident I solved, almost two years ago.

Completing DMESE

I've introduced an idea for protecting digital media from unlimited illegal copying which I call Digital Media Equipment Self-Encryption or DMESE for short, where the essential part of the idea is that the copying equipment encrypts its own copy where it can read it but it is harder to pass to others, but part of the idea is use of a flash drive so you can pass the copy.

But thinking about it more I realize that now people can do things like pass their master copy around to all their friends who can make copies that way, and while that might be a bit more involved than things are now it might not be enough to satisfy the entertainment industry.

So the completion of the idea is that the copy will work without hassle for 30 days and at the end of the 30 day period, you have to put the master disk back into the drive after which the copy will work indefinitely. That way if people pass their master disk around copiers will need to keep it for 30 days or ask for it back in that time.

I arbitrarily picked 30 days of course as it could be shorter while I think it wouldn't help to be longer. And key to the idea is the copying drive keeping up with each of its copies, but they're all individually encrypted anyway with a time stamp from the original idea.

So now, yeah, someone might still let, say, their close friend make a copy, knowing they'll either have to keep the bought original disk for 30 days or ask for it again, but it'll be a hassle, and the point of all this is making it not worth it, so that it's easier to just buy your own.

Entertainment industry, copy protection and DMESE

Back in January of this year I made a post of an idea for copy protection on one of my other blogs, and as time goes by I like it more.

Simply enough I figured that when you make a copy, say of a DVD--wait, let's shift to CD's now because the music industry's flagging sales of CD's are in the news--so you make a copy of a CD, then if it's a music CD you bought from a store with some artist, like say, Celine Dion, then your copy is automatically encrypted by your own pc's CD player as it makes the copy. That copy is its own, like its baby, so it can read it with no problem, but no one else can, without a key, which you can pass by a flash drive.

May sound silly, why should your computer's CD drive encrypt your copy?

Simple, so no one else can easily use the copy while you can use it without hassle or even caring that it is encrypted. Flash drives can fit into USB ports, and that part of the idea is so that you can play the CD on some other device you own, but yes, it also means that if you must you could give the copy to someone else, but they have to have the flash drive with the decrypting code as well and the copy has identifying information about you.

That means the point of this idea is that you the end user are unlikely to be able to take your CD player apart, pull the chips that encrypt it and solder in new chips re-programmed to give you unencrypted copies so that you can widely distribute to your friends and family.

I christened the idea Digital Media Equipment Self-Encryption or DMESE for short.

It has been on a blog of mine since January of this year.

For the sake of argument let's attack the idea with some questions:

1. Why can't anyone just figure out a way to get around this like they seem to do with every other copy protection idea?

Ans: Sure, experienced hackers with electrical engineering degrees might be able to re-program their digital equipment like take apart their CD drive or their DVD drive, but can you if you're not one? And will you go find that local guy to do it for you so that you can make illegal copies to give to lots of your friends, or will you just settle for legal copies that you can still give to your friends anyway if you really want?

2. Doesn't copy protection just suck anyway? Why have any?

Ans: Because illegal copying cuts into profits for people who control the production and distribution of entertainment media and while the system may suck in many ways, it is the system we have, so why not get a solution that helps everyone? This idea lets you make copies, say, of Transformers when it comes out on DVD without worrying about some studio hating your guts, as they can figure, sure maybe you'll give a copy to your daughter, your Dad, or your Mom, but you will not supply the entire neighborhood, and all your co-workers, and total strangers who you meet on the street, etc. with copies of their movie.

3. Sounds great, can I expect to copy my movies and DVD's legally by Christmas?

Ans: Probably not. I call myself one of the most successful failures in human history because I have quite a few spectacular ideas--mostly ignored by the mainstream--where I am in this arena where money matters (I hope) because my other big ideas are mostly in mathematics. Being an idea person I know how hard it can be to get institutions to look for ideas from unexpected sources, so despite the millions in losses from the industry, I know that this idea can just sit, without anything being done.

4. Wait a minute, if it's such a great idea and you think you're so smart, why not patent it and get rich?

I tried to patent an idea once. After over $4,000 U.S. ( I got an attorney) and silly objections from a patent examiner, I gave up--no patent. I have no interest in repeating working at a broken system, and besides, this is more fun! I estimate this idea is worth possibly over $100 million U.S. over its patentable lifetime, and I'm giving it away! For free!!!

Who can do that? Who else? No one but me, and it's kind of a fun thing to contemplate as I am an idea person and ideas intrigue me.

Besides, it allows me to feel quite a bit smarter than an industry full of arrogant people and I get a kick out of the idea of, say, some music executive whining in some meeting about flagging sales around people who may know this idea, and quietly smile to themselves...


James Harris

What is "managed copy"?

Link above is to a news article on managed copy which is a subject that has recently been in the news.

Idea as I see it is to let people do what comes natural and make backup copies of DVD's that they buy. I know I want to have backup copies as I learned that lesson with CD's as I have lots of scratched up CD's that I don't like playing because you have to keep jumping them over the really bad scratched parts.

Trouble is, if you make a DVD easy to copy, movie studios and other people in the chain are worried about losing lots of money as people then make copies for their friends, or even people who are strangers as I've noticed as today copying is a casual thing.

What gets me though is that it is easy to solve the problem by digital media equipment self-encryption (DMESE)--I like making up phrases so I just made that up--where your computer makes a backup copy--encrypted by it, for it.

So because your computer encrypts your copy, your computer can read your copy, but no one else can without a key.

Ok, problem solved, next thing?

Sure, yeah, the problem can be solved by me casually on a blog just like that but we live in a world complicated by massive human egos so don't necessarily think that because I put out a simple idea that would let me back up my DVD's like I backup CD's that you'll be able to do it by Christmas!

Oh yeah, I've talked about this idea multiple times on one of my other blogs:

Post on my other blog


James Harris