US editors: Look at what is going on in congress (IMPORTANT)

[risk one]

Do you think, if this bill is passed, it may also effect the new format DVDs(whichever format they chose to go with? BluRay or ... HD)?

I'm a dumbass, I've read this whole thread and I'm really not understanding.

Analog -> Computer is like tapes to computer, but then you guys said it would affect more.. X|

Here's a recap (as I understand it):

So far there has always been one major problem with copy protection, called the 'analog hole'. Take audio, no matter how clever their copy protection is, if you can play it back, then you can record it, and once you record your way the copy protection is gone. The same goes for video, if push comes to shove, you can just plug the cable that normally goes into your tv, into your VCR, tivo or capture card and you can record the analog signal. As soon as it becomes analog, the *AA are powerless, right? Wrong. Imagine everything they would need to control to stop people from working this way. They would need every company that manufactures recording devices (think VCR, computer, radio mp3 player) to comply with a system of their design where when they say "don't record this" it won't record it. And that's what they're proposing.

One example of this is the broadcast flag. Nevermind that VCR owners have been able to record television broadcasts for over thirty years without limiting the entertainment industry's profits in any way, the MPAA now wants people to stop doing it if they say so. They want all tivo's to stop their owners from recording television if the broadcasting station decides to flag the broadcast.

And now they've just decided to go for the whole pie. They want to control all recording hardware. But it'll get cracked, right? Doesn't it always get cracked? Well, it always got cracked, because it was always software. This time they've decided to control our hardware, and that's very nearly impossible to crack. So forget about using DVD's for footage, your new DVD drive will only let you play it back to your cerified monitor with a certified media player (certification of software will require a small fee, but nothing any multimillion dollar software house can't afford. We'll just have to do without all those pesky freeware and open source programs, the MPAA's profits are at stake!). Forget about using VHS footage, your new capture card won't let you capture, and your new VCR will only let you play it back to a certified television, certainly not another VCR. Forget about using fansubs, because if the ripping groups can't capture a live broadcast or rip a DVD, there'll be no more fansubs.

This may be a worst case scenario, but it's important to realize that it's the best case scenario for the RIAA and the MPAA. These organisations exist because we give them money. We're their clients and this is what they're selling us.

[x_rex30]

What happens if you buy a Microsoft DRM protected piece of content and then install the latest updates updates for your operating system? Your songs/movies might just stop working. Likewise, if you swap out a piece of hardware, the same can happen to you. You can still solve the issue by backing up your licenses, resetting the DRM system and reimporting them, but there are content publishers that don't even allow the backup of your licenses. In other words, you're at the complete mercy of the DRM system. I'm afraid that I'm speaking to the choir by telling you this, but please make sure you tell your friends and families - it's not enough if a select few don't buy into DRM, it needs the masses that may not even consider such issues for the content publishers to realize they're headed in the wrong direction.

Ummm.. off topic?? Sorta.. but meh.. better than making new topics about this.

I feel like becoming an anarchist, a rebel of some sort.. I'm a lot about being legit, but I don't like what the MPAA and RIAA are doing, I feel like not caring anymore.

[Zarxrax]

I think this bill is a little too over the top to get passed. I mean it just seems too far out there. But I was thinking... it seems like practically every week the RIAA or the MPAA try to pass some sort of legislation like this, and it usually gets shot down. Perhaps they are purposefully proposing a lot of things that they know wont get passed... and then later come through with something much more subtle and say something like "look, we are willing to compromise now, we only have minor requests now" and then get whatever it is passed through?

[doughboy]

Forget about using fansubs, because if the ripping groups can't capture a live broadcast or rip a DVD, there'll be no more fansubs.

And how would an American Law affect people capturing TV streams in Japan?

[DeinReich]

I see no chance of this bill ever being passed, because there are, believe it or not, people that do use DVD rippers and the like (involved in the bill) for legal things.

[badmartialarts]

I can imagine JASRAC and Japan's version of MPAA to be looking very closely at this, that's why. DVDs in Japan cost 50-60$ a pop, and they like their immense profit margins, which they have to take because of the huge amount of piracy, at least as I've read.

[risk one]

Forget about using fansubs, because if the ripping groups can't capture a live broadcast or rip a DVD, there'll be no more fansubs.

And how would an American Law affect people capturing TV streams in Japan?

Allright, you got me there, but Japan is about the only country that doesn't really rely on America for anything (not hardware at least). Most other countries will get stuck with america's stupid DRM'd hardware. Come to think of it, if trusted computing aver takes off, even Japan will have to conform to American DRM (I take it they use AMD and Intel over there too?)

[devilmaykickass]

I'm praying that it does get passed.

[SQ]

I'm praying that it does get passed.

0o Why?

I really hope that was a typo.

[trythil]

It would be wise to keep an eye on this, and, when the time comes, write your representatives asking them to oppose this ill-concieved roadblock to future innovation and creativity.

And say what, exactly? "Please don't pass this bill because it will prevent me from ripping DVDs, editing my own videos, and practicing being an editor, which in turn will prevent me from ever making a kick ass demo reel to break into the video editing/movie making business?"

Really, what would I say to convince my "representative?"

Here's one way:

This bill will place unnecessary constraints on creativity and innovation.

I'm being serious here. See my posts and read about free software, which is a clearly legitimate activity.

This bill, at the very least, destroys the ability of people to create free software that has anything to do with multimedia. It does so because it mandates that any sort of protection mechanism that might be in software or controllable via software must be impossible to tinker with -- which really throws the whole idea of free software out the window.