It isn't digital music but, it's a perfect example of how DRM isn't an effective method of keeping your content from the hands of pirates. The first HD-DVD rip is available via Bittorrent, ending any and all speculation about whether the HD-DVD's DRM format has been successfully cracked. Brad Linder of Download Squad writes, "The breakthrough came when members of the Doom9 Forum tracked down several unique memory keys that BackupHDDVD needs in order to decrypt HD-DVDs. Apparently the keys for King Kong and 12 Monkeys are also available, although Serenity appears to be the only movie to have made it online so far."
The point? Even the most advanced DRM available isn't effective against piracy and, if DRM isn't effective against piracy it serves as nothing more than a way to control the legal use of rightfully purchased media. Have the urge to build a better media player? You can't, unless you first pay royalties to the DRM licence-owners to legally decrypt the content stored within. Have an idea for a media player that makes those DRM license-owners a little nervous? (i.e. playing back your legally purchased content on a non-blessed Linux?) You won't be getting a license for love or money. It's just that simple.
1. As much as I dislike DRM as a consumer, I think it's stretching it to say that simply because HD-DVD protection has been cracked that it's useless.
I think the assumption that protection has to be 100% effective for it to be worthwhile is wrong.
I also think the media companies know that there's no completely stopping pirates. The battle is to make it annoying for the average consumer to defeat the protection.
We have locks on our houses even though any house can be broken into.
Posted at 7:36PM on Jan 15th 2007 by Brad