DRM Issues Never Asked by Congress

Stop and ask "Why does CRM exist?" - Because governments - people whom we elected - can EASILY hold COMPANIES who publish works electronically responsible for violation of copyrights. Thus DRM was created so that the COMPANIES cannot be held responsible for someone re-publishing copyrighted works. Businesses impose DRM to avoid liability and the consumers - who elected these people who we then never hold accountable - passed the laws which in turn imposed DRM on ourselves!

 

DRM has REAL long term issues. Now most items created just NOW under copyright will not expire anywhere for 75 to possible 170 YEARS from now. Are these SAME companies going to go around and remove the DRM in all the CDs / DVDs / Players etc when they are no longer under copyright?  Starting next year some 1927 items are no longer under copyright - if they were published electronically are the companies that created them  going to electronically remove the DRM or give you a NEW copy without DRM on it? Are they going to notify people as DRM materials they purchased drop off and be given a new copy?

 

50 years from now when you put in that DVD you just bought today can you skip all the ads about Harry Potter #6 being out on DVD before #7 comes out in July? (Now I wish they DID put in prices for them in their advertisements - 50 years from now buying Harry Potter for $16.95 will be a real bargain.)

 

All the people creating DRM for electronic distribution don't care or even plan for the expiration of copyright at all. It is there FOREVER. Permanently burned into the electronic and physical media.

 

Like a lot of things governments do - this whole DRM item too was not thourghly thought out by legislatures at all and the problems created and any solutions that it created was just pushed off till later. They completely ignored (really never even asked or wanted to) about the unintended consequences of the laws passed (and still being passed).