[JoeD]

It's not DRM removal software I was thinking of though. Since just removing DRM isn't always an attractive enough feature for some people (and others don't trust the download site).

I was thinking more of apps that add features users really do want, but in order to add those features they have to remove the DRM. An example would be if CDs had included DRM, then we wouldn't have iTunes offering to convert your music to a format that will play on an iPod unless DRM removal was legal. Or we'd have Apple making an agreement with content holders to allow them to play the DRM'd content, but then other mp3 hardware makers would be in the same predicament.

Sure others would develop apps that allowed it, as has occurred with DVD/BR ripping. But the big changes in how we use things and new devices to support that are more likely to come through commercially backed apps (or community based like linux, but even that needs legality to really take hold, otherwise official distributions cannot include the app). For example, many more people may potentially store all their movies on a computer to stream around their home and play on their tablets if it was as simple as popping the DVD/BR in a drive and letting iTunes do the conversion. There's likely other options/features I've not considered that may help or change the way we use content that are not viable whilst DRM removal is illegal.

Will it change something for everyone, no. Will it change anything for most of this forums users, again probably not. But it will change things for some and it may open up new commercial opportunities for others.

At the moment it can be hard to play content on a device on your TV if the content is DRM'd and you don't have the correct apps on both sides. Even though your TV may accept streaming of the underlying format. At the moment you have to remove the DRM and use a 3rd party app to send the content. Apps that wouldn't be allowed on any of the app stores due to including DRM removal. If DRM removal was legal however, those apps might be allowed in the stores (plenty of other reasons they could be denied of course) making it easy for anyone to stream their legally bought content to their TV and/or rip it to their digital library.

When it comes to Linux, even those users would benefit. There'd be no need to jump through hoops to get an application that can playback the format of DVD or Bluray content but needs extra plugins to do so due to DRM. Plugins which come from outside the official repos and could be considered more of a security issue because of it.

Of course the reason I can't really see this happening, is if apps can legally remove DRM, there's really no point in there being any DRM to begin with. No way I can see that going through.

A very restrictively worded version maybe, then as you say nothing would change other than a few less people been criminalised. It depends on the wording (assuming it ever goes beyond the proposal stage) and how much scope for legal usage there is.