Doctrow on DRM
Wow. It’s nice to have people who can write on our side.
Cory Doctrow gave a talk about DRM at Microsoft Research recently. Boing Boing had an excerpt:
Here’s what I’m here to convince you of:
- That DRM systems don’t work
- That DRM systems are bad for society
- That DRM systems are bad for business
- That DRM systems are bad for artists
- That DRM is a bad business-move for MSFT
It’s a big brief, this talk. Microsoft has sunk a lot of capital into DRM systems, and spent a lot of time sending folks like Martha and Brian and Peter around to various smoke-filled rooms to make sure that Microsoft DRM finds a hospitable home in the future world. Companies like Microsoft steer like old Buicks, and this issue has a lot of forward momentum that will be hard to soak up without driving the engine block back into the driver’s compartment. At best I think that Microsoft might convert some of that momentum on DRM into angular momentum, and in so doing, save all our asses.
Go read the whole thing; it makes it really clear why the whole RIAA/MPAA digital rights thing is dumb and hurts all of us, even the artists (like Doctrow) who need to live off of their creations.