Morosoph's Journal: Watch Where you Watch

An article in New Scientist Tech on recent patents reveals Philips's plan to subvert the intent of laws to protect copyright through technical means in order to apply anti-piracy laws to those who wish to watch DVDs from other regions.

According to the article, the effect of this is that in some countries, "watching a movie in the wrong country could land you in jail for 10 years or paying a $1 million fine". The technology is intended for Blu-ray and HD-DVD players, and works by integrating region-protection in with the disk's anti-copying encryption.

Could this backfire? It certainly gives an excuse for those who wish to break the encryption to do so. One that surely has a reasonable chance of standing up in court. Could the effect of this technology be to subvert the tougher anti-piracy law, for the sake of allowing simple arbitration of goods?

oh yeah!

[eglamkowski]

There's a punishment that fits the crime!
*boggle*

Hell Yeah!

[Morosoph]

I've submitted this one to the front page, but obviously new and creative ways to use DMCA-like nastiness isn't an easy fit with Slashdot's news values. Perhaps I'm just no good at writing an FP article.

I agree with your sentiment 100%, BTW, if it wasn't obvious :o)

I'm away for Christmas until the new year, so have a good one!

Re:

[TechnoLust]

Ed, I don't think you understand the seriousness of this issue. Every day, hundreds of actors and screenwriters STARVE TO DEATH because of rich people who are so frivolous that they go to WHOLE OTHER COUNTRIES and don't even sight see, they watch movies they brought with them ILLEGALLY! These horrible people ruin COUNTLESS lives just so they can live a life of luxury and be ENTERTAINED? Is that all they care about? Enjoying their own hard earned money instead of paying multiple times for the same conten