MESSAGE
DATE | 2002-06-10 |
FROM | Paul Rodriguez
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SUBJECT | Re: [hangout] Washington Post
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I second this one. A collection of powerful and useful quotes is a great idea.
- Paul
On Mon, 2002-06-10 at 08:23, a1enviro-at-cloud9.net wrote: > > Here's a good quote: > > > "There's a state-sponsored Napster for books ? it's called a library," > says Allman. < > > How about a page or section on the web site with all the quotes from Jack > Valenti and crew. Add that other quote on librarians being terrorists > (and the source). > > Adding the names and words of Jack Valenti, Sony, DMCA, libraries, > librarians, and other words will help with search engine placement for > NYLXS web site. Adding links on the quotes will help with google > positioning and certain other search engines that use similar algorithms. > Adding the ridiculous quotes on the libraries and librarians may get the > buzz going, and links to NYLXS web site, or at least the traffic from > library web sites, which have a huge following within the library > "industry". And when we request to place flyers within the libraries, we > may get the go-ahead because they already have heard of NYLXS, and what > we are about. > > Vincenzo. > > > On Sun, 9 Jun 2002 17:37:34 -0400 Ruben I Safir wrote: > > > > > > > See > > > > Tony is loosing opputunities here to make himself look good... > > > > > > Why is this man smiling? > > > > June 10, 2002 > > By Alex Daniels/adaniels-at-washtech.com, > > > > > > > Olivier Douliery/Techway > > > > Jack Valenti of the Motion Picture Association of America > > > > SEE ALSO: Recording industry: Now it's time to get paid > > > > The entertainment industry may have won a few battles against online > > pirates, but the war has just begun > > > > Music and movie moguls crowded a Capitol Hill reception last month to > > toast the four-year-old Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the landmark > > law guarding copyrighted material from digital pirates. > > > > Jack Valenti, the snowy-haired chief of the Motion Picture > > Association of America, stepped to the microphone to laud > > congressional efforts on behalf of Hollywood. Hilary Rosen, president > > and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America and the > > sworn enemy of legions of Napster fans, beamed nearby. > > > > "If you can't protect anything you own," said Valenti, "you don't own > > anything." > > > > As the guests clinked champagne glasses, digital thieves around the > > world were double-clicking to buy pirated copies of "Star Wars: > > Attack of the Clones" from Web sites that were hawking the movie ? a > > flick still days away from release in theaters. > > > > Though the International Intellectual Property Alliance hasn't > > tabulated how much is lost to piracy on the Internet, it estimates > > that book publishers, recording and movie studios and software > > developers already lose more than $20 billion a year from physical piracy. > > > > So why were Valenti and Rosen smiling? > > > > Good question. The combination of the Internet with bigger, faster > > and cheaper computers, including ones that burn CDs, is making it > > easier than ever to make and distribute flawless copies. Attempts to > > provide a tech fix have fallen flat. > > > > "There is no such thing as a hacker-proof technology," says Michael > > Miron, CEO of ContentGuard, a Bethesda company developing a system to > > protect digital content from easy copying. "If you make such a claim, > > you're hanging a big target on your back." > > > > Meanwhile, the digital dilemma clearly threatens to hold up already > > disappointing rates of broadband adoption. Media companies remain > > wary of putting valuable content online for fear it will be pirated > > and spread round the world at cyber-speeds. But without more > > available content, consumers have less incentive to abandon their > > dial-up connections for DSL or cable modem services that can cost > > twice as much. Just 7 percent of U.S. households have high-speed > > Internet service. > > > > > > IN THE WASHINGTON AREA, the fight to protect digital rights holds > > enormous implications for two media giants, AOL Time Warner and > > Discovery Communications, not to mention dozens of other smaller > > companies, from newsletter publishers to independent filmmakers. > > > > Last year's mega-merger of Dulles-based AOL and Time Warner was > > supposed to create a giant, combining AOL's Internet dominance with > > Time Warner's cable empire and huge portfolio of movies, music, > > magazines and television shows. But when it comes to digital rights, > > the giant has two heads. > > > > Nearly 90 percent of AOL's 25 million U.S. Internet subscribers still > > use a dial-up connection. To lure customers to higher-speed > > services?and keep them in the AOL tent?the company wants to offer > > splashy content such as movies and music. But the Time Warner side of > > the house worries that releasing its valuable assets online could > > open the door to unauthorized use, diluting their value. > > > > "We're on both sides of this," acknowledges Joe Cantwell, AOL Time > > Warner's vice president for broadband affiliate marketing. > > > > AOL did not respond to requests to interview other company officials > > about the dilemma. But Paul Kim, an analyst at Kaufman Brothers, a > > New York investment bank, says the company is straddling the fence > > while it waits for the murky issue of digital piracy to clear up. > > > > "You have existing distribution channels that are doing very well for > > you," Kim says, referring to cable television, movie rentals and > > retail sales. "Why mess with that?" > > > > Discovery, the Bethesda-based media company, plans to introduce a > > video-on-demand television service June 17. Subscribers will be able > > to access network servers full of Discovery content such as Animal > > Planet and the Travel Channel. > > > > The service is a milestone in Discovery's move into digital media. > > Along with it come fears that its content will be swiped. > > > > Bob Allman, senior vice president and general manager of Discovery > > Online, admits he's nervous the video-on-demand service will bring > > out the "buzzards." The company plans to employ technology to stop > > piracy, though Allman refuses to discuss how. > > > > But perhaps a more important point is that Allman is convinced > > consumers are willing to pay for online videos if the services are > > easy to use?even if other content is available for free. After all, > > before compact discs arrived in the mid-1980s, teen-agers bought > > plenty of music cassette tapes even though they could easily make > > copies of equal quality. > > > > "There's a state-sponsored Napster for books ? it's called a > > library," says Allman. And although public libraries have been around > > for decades, people still buy plenty of books at Barnes & Noble. > > > > A survey released last month by Jupiter Media Metrix suggests that > > Napster-like file-sharing programs may actually boost sales. The > > survey found that music listeners who were experienced with file > > sharing were 75 percent more likely to increase their music spending > > than those without file-sharing experience. > > > > "We've been too slow in offering music for sale online," admits > > Rosen. Her bigger problem, however, is figuring out how to get > > consumers to pay for something that's available for free at the click > > of a mouse. > > > > More then 350,000 movie files are illegally downloaded on the Web > > each day, according to Viant, a Boston-based Internet consulting company. > > > > And to Rosen's dismay, the online trading of music files continues to > > flourish. True, the once mighty Napster was vanquished in the courts > > and sold off as a shell last month to German media giant Bertelsmann > > for a paltry $8 million. But many of Napster's 64 million users have > > simply turned to alternate sites such as Morpheus and KaZaA to swap > > copyrighted music for free. Those services have escaped Napster's > > fate ? so far ? because the files aren't stored on their networks. > > > > The music industry's few online offerings of licensed content have > > been met with a shrug. Susan Kevorkian, an analyst for market > > research company IDC, predicts online music services are generating > > just a few hundred thousand dollars in annual revenue and says the > > industry will be hard pressed to top $10 million in revenue by 2005. > > > > "They've been very closed mouthed about it," Kevorkian says. But she > > concedes that meeting even her conservative projections "may be hard > > given what they're up against. Free music services are still available." > > > > MusicNet, a subscription-based music service launched last October > > with music licensed by BMG, EMI, Warner and Zomba, would not disclose > > sales or subscriber figures. MusicNet offers 80,000 titles, well > > below the hundreds of thousands of titles that Napster was offering > > at its peak. > > > > > > TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT of more online pay sites, nearly two > > dozen software companies are busy at work developing digital rights > > management (DRM) software to help content owners put a digital leash > > on copyrighted material. But their solutions are far from foolproof. > > > > DRM software allows copyright holders to write usage rules into their > > music and video files. The software typically is a set of data that > > describes each media file and sets terms for its use. A song file can > > be overlaid with a "digital watermark" that confirms its authenticity > > and an encryption code only allows authorized users to access it. The > > software can be written to destroy a file after it's played a certain > > number of times and can even limit the file's use to individual > > computers or media player devices. > > > > For instance, a media company can write rules in to a music file that > > allows a user to download it off of the Internet and make a back up > > copy for personal use. But the rules can also restrict further copying. > > > > But DRM software is off to a rocky start. Last year, IDC pegged the > > annual DRM market in the United States at $96 million and predicted > > it would grow to $3.5 billion in 2005. > > > > IDC analyst Joshua Duhl says that prediction will be revised downward > > when new figures are made available next month, thanks to a sluggish > > economy, unprofitable transaction-based pricing models and a > > patchwork of offerings and standards. > > > > For instance, Microsoft makes software that will only work on its > > media players, and RealNetworks makes software tailored for use on > > its Real media players. > > > > Interoperability isn't the only problem. Unless software is totally > > invisible to the average consumer and easy to use, securing content > > with DRM software could fail and rip-off artists will reign > > unchecked, analysts say. > > > > Even if software becomes standardized, it probably won't be hard for > > skilled digital pirates to give it the hook. Content providers and > > DRM software developers concede some level of piracy is inevitable. > > Their goal is to keep it out of the hands of the masses. > > > > Patrick Breslin says all it takes to copy electronic music files is a > > trip to an electronics store for a cable and basic computer know-how. > > "That's not amazing technology and it doesn't mean I'm a hacker," > > says Breslin, CEO of Relatable in Alexandria. > > > > Relatable, which Breslin founded in 1999 with less than $1 million > > from friends and family, has developed software that recognizes music > > files based on their acoustic properties, helping content owners > > verify the authenticity of the files. It can make "fingerprints" of > > consumers' song files and compare them to original recordings held in > > copyright holders' databases. Relatable's software can identify > > bootlegged recordings sent out under bogus file names. > > > > Last summer, after promising to honor copyrights, Napster installed > > Relatable's software to sniff out unlicensed songs on its network. > > Breslin says the software scanned hundreds of millions of files on > > the network > > > > The future of Napster is unclear, and Relatable has yet to turn a > > profit. But Breslin says he is negotiating deals with other music > > providers. The key, he says, will be convincing content owners to > > jump into the Internet. > > > > "They're saying, 'Let's put plywood on the windows and bar the > > door,'" Breslin says. "We're saying, 'Let's make this a huge > > Wal-Mart.' Everyone who wants to go out the door needs to pass the > > cash register." > > > > Miron, the CEO of ContentGuard agrees that content owners can make > > money on the Internet, even in competition with free music and video > > offerings. > > > > Reliable DRM software and exciting content will help, he says, but > > the patchwork of different protection products on the market is > > holding things back. "The industry would be a hell of a lot better > > off if all participants had a common way to express rights," for > > their material, he says. > > > > Content Guard is majority owned by Xerox and funded in the > > "triple-digit millions" by Microsoft. The company hopes that XrML, a > > language developed at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, will become > > the standard language for expressing rights on media files due to its > > ability to operate on different computer systems and applications. > > > > ContentGuard designs custom software using XrML and hopes to earn > > revenue from patents it holds on computer languages expressing > > copyrights. The company won't disclose revenues. > > > > Two other languages, ODRL and XCML, are also in the running to become > > the standard. Last fall, ContentGuard scored a win when the MPEG-21, > > an international group working to develop standards for the creation > > and distribution of multimedia content selected XrML as its base language. > > > > The company is now submitting XrML to other standards bodies. But > > even if the software becomes the coin of the realm in the digital > > copyright world, it won't matter unless studios and record labels to > > warm up to the Internet. And Miron isn't sure how that will happen. > > > > Options include monthly subscriptions or fees for downloads. Media > > companies also are experimenting with putting premium information on > > the Web, such as anthologies, live recordings and tour and concert > > information. While such material can be copied, media owners are > > betting people will pay if it is cheap and easy to access. > > > > "The business models that will succeed online probably do not exist > > today," Miron says. "The state of the industry is mostly dabbling and > > experimenting, which is why piracy is still the dominant, scaled > > offering." > > > > > > WHILE COMPANIES LIKE CONTENTGUARD and Relatable work on a tech fix, > > policy makers are taking a closer look at digital piracy law. For > > some, the DMCA doesn't go far enough. To stop music and video > > pirates, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, the South Carolina Democrat, is > > sponsoring a bill that would require all interactive devices to > > incorporate anti-piracy technology. > > > > The measure would give manufacturers one year to comply, but doesn't > > call for a specific type of technology to be used. The bill has the > > support of media and entertainment executives such as Rosen and Valenti. > > > > But the technology lobby opposes the bill. Groups such as the > > Software & Information Industry Association believe anti-piracy > > technologies are at too early a stage in their development to draw up > > government standards. The only way copyright protection standards > > will develop, they argue, is if the government gets out of the way > > and allows the marketplace to sort out what works. > > > > "It doesn't have legs," declares Rep. Rick Boucher, a Virginia > > Democrat, an opponent of the Hollings measure. Boucher, co-chairman > > of the House Internet Caucus, believes the DMCA should be re-examined > > because it favors copyright holders at the expense of legitimate users. > > > > Opponents of the DMCA, who include libraries and universities, > > contend that the law restricts what is known as the "fair use" of a > > copyrighted material. Because of the fear of mass distribution of > > content via the Internet, critics say the DMCA wrongly makes it a > > criminal act to make back up copies of music and video or sell a > > single copy to a friend. > > > > Rather than jealously protecting their copyrights, Boucher thinks > > media companies should make the jump online. > > > > "They think all of the world is full of pirates," he says. "It's not. > > They should start aggressively using the Internet." > > > > © Copyright 2002 The Washington Post Company > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > __________________________ > > > > Brooklyn Linux Solutions > > __________________________ > > http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting > > http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn > > http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software > > http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy > > http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories > > and articles from around the net > > http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/dr.mp3 - Imagine my surprise when I saw > > you... > > http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn.... > > > > 1-718-382-5752 > > > > > > > > ____________________________ > > New Yorker Linux Users Scene > > Fair Use - > > because it's either fair use or useless.... > > > ____________________________ > New Yorker Linux Users Scene > Fair Use - > because it's either fair use or useless....
____________________________ New Yorker Linux Users Scene Fair Use - because it's either fair use or useless....
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