"Copy Protected" CDs and the attitude of the record labels (long rant)

DVD adverts that cannot be skipped are the very work of the devil.

Of course, technology being technology, there's ways around it. Use VideoLan for starters... doesn't help me watch it on my DVD player, so rip it using DVD shrink and play the copy.

Digital media is akin to Pandora's box: once it's open, you can't put the lid back on it. It's been good to them, allowing them to reduce the cost of production to near zero for DVD and CD alike (remember those analogue things that needed banks of recorders etc? How quaint, and how expensive!) but now they're facing reality.

The head of the computer science department at Leeds University had a great quote on his wall: "Digital media is the universal solvent of intellectual property laws"

That was 15 years ago, and it was as obvious then as it is now. You cannot restrict people's use of digital media through technology (unless this awful "trusted computing" takes off) so a different business model for digital distribution needs to be found.

Only today I saw an advert for 8 megabit broadband in the UK, with a 500GB monthly limit, costing less than £40 a month. One guess what sort of user that's aimed at....

Yeah well Clint, you always knew you were taking a walk with the devil working with me

It is all going to be like they portrayed things in Minority Report. Capitalist marketers with invasive long range retina scanners performing a database lookup. Then holographic advertising to you right in front of your nose, tracking your daily routine and spending habits.

Ho Yea! Long live the revolution!

8 meg, 500 gig... bleh. I need uncapped.
"ADSL 2+ baby"

Just have a look at what free.fr are offering for ADSL - it makes the 8MB look rather poor

Like I said.
ADSL 2+ 'baby'

JM's 15 Meg make me feel very, very, VERY inadequate on my 576/288

Can this thread include data cd's? Because I have a dying copy of The Hobbit that I need to back up - and guess what? I can't? Well, at least as far as legal terms go, but there should possibly be some sort of system where you can take it to a store, pay a fee after they verify that you are the owner, and then have them make a copy by any means necessary? Just dreaming a bit here. Copy protection has been a nuisance for as long as it has been around. Does anyone have any proof of companies that have been saved by their music not being copied to other cds - same goes with data cds? I think that they survive just as well - with the mindset that the majority of people who listen to that publisher's music (or use a developer's software) buy it themselves? When I go into Target, I see people walking out with cds that they just bought. BestBuy, Fry's, whatever! Cds and whichever medium that has always been sought out to be copyrighted has always (to my knowledge) had a steady purchase income.

I confess that I am not knowledgeable in US law, however under UK acceptable use legislation. I as a private citizen have the right top create a single copy of any retail purchased copyrighted material which could reduce in quality over time or runs high risk of incurring damage which renders it inoperable through general use.

That includes (but isn't limited to) Tape Cassettes, LP's, CD's, MD's, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM. Irrespective of whether they are software, music or video. By Microsoft or by Jo(e) programmer.

You cannot allow anyone to use the copies, you must keep them with the original and you must be able to prove that you legitimately own the original - so keep the scratched up original CD / Jewel case / receipt.

It is the same legislation that lets me copy all my CD's to mp3 format on my PC and view my DVD's on my H/PC.

To the best of my knowledge, this all applies in North America as well.

Well then why are all the backup programs sued?

Two reasons

1) The Video industry is not used to to the level of copying that the audio industry is, to the corporate dinosaur they can't get their heads around it. They site the software as every reason to pirate and the sole reason for internet video piracy on that level (high quality, widly avaialble)
2) It breaks the copy protection on DVD's they argued that in purchasing the DVD you agreed to the protection and so acceptable use doesn't apply. It is the corporate dinosaur fighting extinction.