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Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
That is the real key to workable DRM: Make it so people aren't angry at it... or, at least, see it as worth their while for the content they gain. Save them money... make the shopping and download process faster or easier... give them a slicker product... even convince them it will make them "cool" or get them laid... and most people will overlook the DRM in the process.
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Why would people ever be interested in DRM? It is, by definition, NEVER in their interests. The only parties that could ever gain from DRM are content creators and content owners.
There are some serious flaws in your above thinking. Why would you, as a content creator or owner, offer incentives to people in order to get them to use DRM'ed content but not non-DRM content? What do you stand to gain by having customers use one form rather than another? Nothing, as it happens. You stand to gain if people buy your content, irregardless of whether it comes with DRM or not.
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"Perfect DRM" is impossible... but acceptable DRM is not impossible to attain. (Hard, sure. But not impossible.)
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There is no such thing as acceptable DRM if there's a feasible alternative to DRM. The math is really very simple: why would I, as a consumer, put up with being treated like a second-rate citizen, when I can do what I want when I want? I'm the one with the money, I get to say how I spend it and what I get for it.
Personally, I don't get why so few in the content-producing industries see the new possibilities as the new opportunities they are. In the 'old' days, in order to get somewhere in writing you had to get published in print. Actual physical books had to be made. No more. Some hack wrote a blog about an escort girl and there's now a tv-series based on it. What was the cost of production and publication? Nothing compared to printing books.
Magnatune is a nice example of how things could be: you go to their site, check out the stuff they have, download what you like and pay as much as you like. They're still in business and have been for a while now. They don't need DRM to do what they do, so why assume that other industries do? A lot of other sites offer stuff for download too without DRM but after payment. Have they gone out of business? Not to the best of my knowledge - heck, even itunes have started doing it. Why should authors be incapable of this? Is there something intrinsic to books that necessitates DRM?
I'm sorry for the rant but I really just don't get it. DRM has been around for a while and it's never worked, in any shape or form: from copyprotections on cds and software, to copy-protection on audio cds and backdoors installed on your computer, to encryption of content ... it's always been possible to get what you want without paying for it and it's never been easier. The content-industry has proven VERY willing to throw tons of money at DRM but they've so far only very reluctantly considered throwing money at their customers (in terms of cutting prices, making their products better, going for the new distribution channels, etc.). Is it THAT hard to see where the world is headed?
Regards
Fake