Into the DTV era, with no broadcast flag mandate: Via EFF.org Updates.
Today (June 12, 2009) marks the completion of the U.S. transition to digital television, as TV stations switch off their analog transmitters.
Just a few years ago, some broadcasters and movie studios argued that this transition couldn't happen without a DRM mandate -- a legal requirement for devices to obey the broadcast flag and apply DRM restrictions to free, over-the-air broadcasts. And they said they would hold up and obstruct this transition unless they got their way.
The DMCA has already been used to restrict the ability to produce innovative, useful products that copyright holders disapprove of. read more... »
Hollywood drives us into the "Analog Sunset": Via EFF.org Updates.
As Blu-ray.com reports, the AACS licensing authority has released the "Final Adopter Agreement" it plans to enforce against consumer electronics companies that make BluRay players (and any other AACS devices that come along). Buried inside that 188 page document is a plan to eliminate analog video... forever. BluRay device makers will have to restrict analog outputs to low resolution first:
2.2.2.1 Analog Sunset – 2010. With the exception of Existing Models,
any Licensed Player manufactured after December 31, 2010 shall
limit analog video outputs for Decrypted AACS Content to SD
Interlace Modes [composite video, s-video, 480i component video and 576i video] only. read more... »
EFF comments on Child Safe Viewing Act: Via EFF.org Updates.
Recently, EFF filed comments with the FCC in connection with the Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007, which requires the FCC to conduct a study of V-chip-like blocking technologies that might apply to media other than television – such as Internet access, perhaps. The law requires the FCC to study these "advanced blocking technologies" and report back to Congress, which might then take some further legislative action based on the report's contents. Our comments emphasized First Amendment issues, but there turns out to be a copyright angle lurking here too (which we'll discuss in a separate blog post). read more... »
The Child Safe Viewing Act and another DMCA victim: Via EFF.org Updates.
In an earlier post, we mentioned that EFF filed comments with the FCC in connection with the Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007. This process unexpectedly drew our attention to a copyright issue, which we discuss below.
The comments of one blocking technology company, TVGuardian, reveal an interesting angle: TVGuardian and companies like it are unexpected victims of DRM and the DMCA! read more... »
EFF Opposes MPAA's Selectable Output Control FCC Petition - Via EFF.org Updates:
Public Knowledge, joined by EFF as well as the Consumer Federation of America, the Digital Freedom Campaign, the Media Access Project, the New America Foundation and U.S. PIRG, yesterday filed an opposition [PDF] to the MPAA's FCC petition seeking a waiver of the ban against selectable output controls (SOC) (we have an explanation of what a "selectable output control" is on our Digital Video issue page).
EFF has long opposed selectable output controls. The basic premise of those who back SOC is that content owners should be able to decide not just who can watch their content, but how they can watch it. read more... »
A Conversation About the Broadcast Flag - Via EFF Line Noise:
Tim Jones meets with Danny O'Brien to discuss Vista, DRM and the Broadcast Flag.
Links for further research:
Download: MP3, Ogg Vorbis
(Read Original Article - Via EFF Line Noise.)
Why DRM on Video Will Persist: DVD-CCA Targets Kaleidescape (Again): "As we've said many times before, DRM is not about preventing piracy, it's about giving entertainment companies control over disruptive innovation. Here's the latest example: tomorrow DVD-CCA (the entity that controls the CSS encryption standard for DVDs) will be voting on an amendment to the CSS license that is designed to put a disruptive innovator, Kaleidescape, out of business (read Kaleidescape's letter about it here). read more... »
Satellite TV Hacking Illegal But Not a $100,000 Offense, Court Says:
Users of illicit decoding technology who have hacked into DirecTV satellite signals are not liable under a certain provision of the Federal Communications Act that calls for hefty, $100,000 fines, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said section 605(e)(4) of the act cannot be charged against individuals who have altered or purchased reformatted smart cards to acquire DirecTV for free. That statute, the court ruled, was meant to financially injure companies that produce and sell such pirating technology and was not directed at end users as DirecTV alleged read more... »
Blogging WIPO: No Diplomatic Conference on the WIPO Broadcasting Treaty in 2007: "A crucial meeting that will determine the future of the proposed WIPO Broadcasting Treaty has been underway this week at WIPO. WIPO' s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights was scheduled to meet from 18-21 June, and then hold a Preparatory Conference on June 22, to agree the rules for the Diplomatic Conference scheduled for November. But at 8:45 pm last night, the U.S. delegation took the floor and said that it did not support moving forward to a Diplomatic Conference this year, on the grounds that there was so little agreement on a proposed text and key elements of what a Broadcasting Treaty should contain. Many Member States agreed that there was no prospect of coming to a consensus by week-end, including Brazil, India and the Africa Group. That's clear from the number of alternative proposals put forward by Member States in the closed-room negotiations that have been taking place this week, which are recorded in two non-official 'non-papers' that were circulated yesterday evening. After almost 10 years of negotiations, there is litlle agreement on fundamental elements of a treaty. However, despite that, several countries, including Japan and the European Community, support continuing work on the proposed treaty. IP-Watch has more detailed coverage of last night's breakdown of discussions here.
So what does all of this mean? It means that the intergovernmental Diplomatic Conference scheduled to take place in November 2007 won't be going ahead. But it's not at all clear that the proposed Treaty is off WIPO's Agenda. read more... »
DVD Home Media Server, We Hardly Knew You: "In April, a California court ruled that Kaleidescape did not violate its contract with the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) by distributing a device that rips and plays DVDs. But now the DRM licensing authority, which is mostly controlled by movie studios, is planning to change the contract and more clearly forbid DVD ripping. read more... »