![]() Friday, January 22, 2021 06:47:43 PM
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Erick Vasconcelos :
On January 20, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced the Apollo 1201 project, an effort to eradicate digital rights management (DRM) schemes from the world of Internet commerce. Led by well-known activist Cory Doctorow, the project aims to "accelerate the movement to repeal laws protecting DRM" and "kick-start a vibrant market in viable, legal alternatives to digital locks." According to EFF, DRM technologies "threaten users' security and privacy, distort markets, undermine innovation," and don't effectively protect so-called "intellectual property."
EFF's aim is true. DRM plays a huge role in extending the life of intellectual property monopolies and their evil effects on creation and innovation. Indeed, as EFF notes, DRM has become so intertwined with our society that a world with no DRM technologies seems hard to fathom. The debate becomes even more relevant given the widespread adoption of 3D printing, which is capable of making many "IP"-protected goods, and given moves by corporations to extend post-purchase control over those who buy their products.
Keurig, for example, recently tried to market a DRM-protected coffee machine that only recognizes its own "official" pods. Consumers weren't too happy to find out they would have to hack their own spresso machines to brew coffee, since the so-called "2.0" pods weren't available in sufficient quantities to satisfy demand.
From Apple's cat-and-mouse race with jailbreaking phone buyers, to Amazon's move into "exclusive" programming for its streaming service, to Netflix's region-blocking (enthusiastically supported by the Motion Picture Association of America, a powerful US IP lobby), to rampant user control schemes by console video game makers, DRM has a long record of enabling predatory behavior by politically privileged players in captive "markets." The enforcement of "intellectual property" claims has become so extensive and intrusive that "rights holders" feel increasingly free to interfere in production of content formerly considered fair use.
While corporations try to set up force fields around the content they control, users find ways to consume it without monitoring, breaking locks and sidestepping restrictions. While corporations treat their customers as potential criminals and try to control them at every turn, "pirates" supply ease and comfort.
The DRM world and the larger universe of state-granted and state-enforced "intellectual property" monopolies are black holes of inefficiency and bad customer service. It's no accident that large corporations and their political cronies love DRM. They fear a genuinely free economy-one with no "intellectual property" and no "digital rights."
Bangladesh is still at risk of losing the European Union's (EU's) generalised system of preferences (GSP) plus as the latter has again warned about its readiness to launch the procedure for withdrawal of preferences in case of the country's failure to produce sufficient results. A news report in a national ...
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Reuters :Mongolia's Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa submitted his resignation to parliament on Thursday after protests in the capital Ulaanbaatar over the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state news agency Montsame reported.Khurelsukh said in his resignation statement that he should "assume the responsibility upon himself and accept the demand ...
Shraddha Kapoor being a wonderful actor and a wonderful person, she adds meaning to the word empathy every time she does something in support for the speechless and needy. Recently, the actress has raised her voice to show support for the voiceless animals by asking people to sign a petition ...
A STUDY showed distance learning programmes through television, radio and internet, adopted after the school closure due to Covid-19, remain by and large ineffective. The interim Education Watch Report 2020-21 said the prolonged closure results in growing monotony and boredom in millions of children who are confined to their home, ...
Agency :Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has escaped a lengthy ban for lashing out at Athletic Bilbao's Asier Villalibre in Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final defeat and will only serve a two-game suspension.The Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) said on Tuesday Messi had been banned for two matches, meaning he will miss ...
Times of India :West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called the BJP more dangerous than the Maoists and accused the saffron party of making false promises to the people of the state before elections.The TMC supremo, whose party is witnessing an exodus ahead of the assembly elections due ...
Business Desk :Khandakar Ruhul Amin has been elected as Executive Committee Chairman of NRB Bank Limited at a meeting of the board of directors of the bank held recently.He is also the Chairman of Sonaimuri Upazilla Parishad of Noakhali District. Amin is a versatile and seasoned business professional with extensive ...
Sheikh Arif Bulbon :National Film Award winner actress Zakia Bari Mamo-starrer movie Agamikal is scheduled to be released in March. Producer of the movie Tutul Chowdhury confirmed the matter yesterday. “We are trying to release the movie on the occasion of coming Independence Day. We are also taking necessary preparations ...
MEDIA report in a national daily on Tuesday highlighted how bad planning and good planning of development projects make huge cost differentials and none but project officials at respective Ministries and at Planning Commission who make cost estimates are the ones can't avoid the responsibility. It said the Local Government ...
Advisory Council Member of Cumilla Uttar Zilla Awami League, Director of FBCCI and Founding Chairman and CEO of Joyjatra Television Helena Zahangir has been nominated Member of Women Affairs Central Sub-Committee of Bangladesh Awami League.
Alia Bhatt is quite a workaholic and puts in a lot of effort in every project. The actress is trying to complete the shoot of her next Gangubai Kathiawadi which had been stalled for the longest time due to the lockdown. However working for this gritty drama which is helmed ...
Atletico Madrid are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after FIFA rejected their appeal against defender Kieran Trippier's 10-week suspension for violating betting rules in England, a club spokesman said on Monday.The club will immediately file an appeal to sport's highest court over Trippier's ban, which was ...
Business Desk :Tateyama Kabir has been re-elected while Mohammed Jamil Iqbal has been elected as Vice Chairmen of NRB Bank Limited at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the bank held on Sunday.Tateyama Kabir is one of the most successful exporters of motor vehicle of Japanese origin around ...
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