Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetpea
DRM on any product that isn't on loan (like a subscription) is bad. Be it on a physical product like a CD/DVD/BR or on a digital product like ebooks or music.
It could be that the manufacturer of that DVD player is still here, but he simply cannot deliver the product I need, because my tablet doesn't have room for a DVD player. And I'd have loved to watch that movie on holiday.
I bought the right to watch that movie, but DRM is preventing me (I can't copy it to the SD card in my tablet). I don't see why the medium on which the product was delivered has anything to do with it.
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In the US, format shifting is considered fair use according to the courts. DVD ripping programs are widely available and while breaking DRM is technically against the DCMA, I don't think it's ever been tested in the courts.
I agree with you, medium has nothing to do with the question at hand.
Some people like to throw out the red herring that if you buy digital media, then you aren't actually buying it, but rather licensing it. As far as I know, that particular theory has as much validity in the courts as the various signs one sees claiming no responsibility in parking lots. Just because one party asserts such things, doesn't make it true.
It's unlikely that one can successfully sue a company if they shutdown their media platform and you suddenly no longer can access your media. On the other hand, it's also pretty unlikely that you can successfully be sued for breaking DRM as long as it's something like backup or format shifting, something that has been held by the courts as fair use.