Comments on: fair but wrong, some thoughts about DRM from the British Library among others

By: Librarian Avengers » Blarghahtpth…gurble

Librarian Avengers » Blarghahtpth…gurble — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 23:14:32 +0000

[...] Jessamyn has some commentary on the British Library’s wickedcool DRM-bashing. Nothing new to librarians facing superrestrictive e-journal licenses, I’m sure. [...]

By: Erica

Erica — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 22:57:38 +0000

Thanks to DRM’s wonderful advances in technology, I’m home sick and am unable to listen to my $200 worth of Itunes music. According to Apple’s DRM, I’m only allowed to listen to my music on three “authenticated” computers (my work machine, my boyfriend’s laptop, the computer downstairs). I’m upstairs. Sure would be nice if I could listen to the music I paid for. But that would be stealing, wouldn’t it? **LISTENS TO FURNACE**

By: Jack Stephens

Jack Stephens — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 21:43:23 +0000

They’re paying to disseminate information to the public? The nerve!

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 20:20:13 +0000

It’s the fact that people who have a dog in the fight, a big dog, are offering services gratis in a project to collate and disseminate open commenting about the future of digital rights management in the UK. This has nothing to do with “bashing” it’s just about following the money.

Consumers have very little to gain from digital rights management and yet we concede that for businesses to continue to stay in business, some limitations on digital copying may be in order. Then the big question is “How MUCH limitation?” Business want a lot, consumers want very little, especially if it interferes with product usability, which it does in almost all cases.

I don’t consider DRM an “advance” in IT.

By: Jack Stephens

Jack Stephens — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 19:03:34 +0000

Okay, Jessamyn, I’ll bite: what are we supposed to worry about?

It is the private sector firms you love to bash that are driving the advances in IT that are moving our profession forward.