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Originally Posted by BillSmithBooks
I used "liberate" (with quotes) because I was mocking the "stick it to the Man!" mentality.
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I got that :-) I have the suspicion that a significant part of today's piracy is due to the "stick it to the Man!" mentality you were mocking!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillSmithBooks
Say I buy an ebook for $5, that's a $250 fine...and people can make unlimited copies of that file safely and distributed with no fear of punishment.
No way the publishers will ever, ever, ever sign off on this.
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Well, with current DRM systems people can make unlimited copies of files and distribute them with (in practice) no fear of punisment too. And
in addition to that media buyers have no reason to avoid starting the distribution. In fact once the buyer has stripped the DRM from her/his files to be able to back them up, there's no reason to avoid giving a copy of them to anyone who asks.
So I think that wise publishers could understand that my system gives them more protection, not less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillSmithBooks
I'm not saying I think this scenario is particularly common...but still: ""Hey, look, our jerk boss left his MP3/Kindle player sitting on his desk...let's put all of his files on the torrents have him get hit with a $20,000 fine." I do see that happening.
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OK, but the jerk boss would have to pay only the fine for illegal distribution of ONE file. My proposal does not allow for multiple fines when many files are "stolen" at the same time.
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Originally Posted by BillSmithBooks
I see teens doing this to each other all the freaking time just for spite.
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So, when they receive the $300 fine, the teenager's parents will get the occasion to explain to their offspring the importance of privacy and of keeping track of personal files...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillSmithBooks
I do think it will happen and the end result is that in order to have these fines levied, you have to PROVE the files were intentionally seeded or...else innocent people are being penalized.
I do believe that a lot of people don't have the knowledge or won't put in the effort to encrypt their personal files. And many devices don't have the capability to encrypt files or secure users -- most ebook readers or mp3 players, for example.
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Again, we are talking about being fined for a few hundred dollars/euro, not thousands or worse. Moreover, people who don't feel like keeping track of their non-DRMed files which embed their personal data will be free to use services (like those available today) that provide DRMed files.
And you don't need encryption, only good old removal of read permissions on your media files for users that are not your own (and a switch-on PIN for mobile devices).
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillSmithBooks
As for protecting the publishers...honestly, the best solution is for readers to boycott publishers and authors that refuse to sell DRM free. Period. Full stop.
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I am not so convinced that this method can succeed, considering the forces involved. Or that it can succeed in less than 25 years. But I'd like that!