Re: [rumori] DVD question


From: Steev Hise (steevATdetritus.net)
Date: Sat Sep 21 2002 - 13:04:46 PDT


on Sat, 21 Sep 2002 Carrie McLaren told me:

><<<You buy a DVD but you can't watch it the way you want to. It seems
>obvious that users should have the ability to fast-forward and rewind
>movies as they see fit. But new copyright laws threaten that right:
>it is a crime to sell a DVD player that would allow a consumer to
>fast-forward through the ads at the beginning of a DVD! >>>
>
>
>Does anyone know what they're basing this on? Is it really true? Are
>they assuming that the DVD is encrypted to prevent fast-forwarding,
>or is there some law I don't know about...?

i don't know which law. or if it's copyright law or something
else. but it's true. i've seen dvds like that. some don't let
you FF through the FBI warning at the beginning either. i think
the technical ability to do that is built into the DVD spec. not
encryption, per se, but something the creator can specify when
authoring the disc. i think. Maybe that is part of CSS, in which
case the DMCA might stop manfacturers from getting around it.

It's an interesting issue, because it takes what i'll call
"content control" way past just copyright to a really silly
extreme. it's the same with the whole eBooks fiasco, where Adobe
prohibits certain uses for certain titles, like printing or its
"read out loud" feature. never before have we been forced to only
view cultural objects in such specific ways.

If I want to turn my TV upside down and watch it through pink
sunglasses, I can do that. Or only read every 5th word of a book.
Or listen to a song with the treble turned all the way up. But
maybe someday i won't be able to.

smh

Steev Hise, Automagickal Adept
steevATdetritus.net http://detritus.net/steev
*Recycled Culture: detritus.net *Recordings: phonophilia.com
*Want Peace? Stop Paying for War: warresisters.org/wtr_menu.htm
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