[Discuss] DRM

[richard.pieri at gmail.com (Rich Pieri)]

On Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:37:57 -0500
Tom Metro <tmetro+blu at gmail.com> wrote:

> The real question is what happens 10 years from now when Microsoft is
> a shell of its former self (maybe not, but it is sort of heading that

I'm not concerned. If you're using an old operating system -- ANY old
operating system -- that's out of active support then you deserve
whatever happens.

> How about 50 years from now when some archivist wants to research
> 2000-era technology?
> 
> Far fetched, but there will be some people who run into this, and DRM
> will stop them.

DRM might but WPA won't. The way WPA works you get 30-60 days of
unfettered operation after which the OS functionality degrades. XP is
the worst: it simply refuses to function until activated. Vista and 7
are much more lenient: they watermark the desktop background and lock
out the cosmetic settings and block all updates but the critical
security updates but are otherwise fully functional. I'm not sure what
Windows 8 does. Thirty days should be more than enough time to perform
whatever research on 2000-era tech you might want, and if not then wipe
and re-install for another 30 days.


> Your definition of DRM is too narrow, then.

That's not my definition. That's how the DMCA defines it and how Big
Content uses it.


> How is that materially different from the encryption placed on a
> Kindle e-book used to insure that the licensee doesn't have the
> ability to redistribute (share/sell/lend/archive) the book? It too is
> a license enforcement mechanism. You don't own Kindle e-books.

WPA does not deny you the choice of hardware. You can install the
software on any computer you want assuming the computer is capable of
running that software and you are otherwise entitled to do so.

WPA does not prevent you from legally transferring the software and
license to another person. You can give, sell, trade, whatever.
Microsoft doesn't like it when people do that but WPA does not prevent
it.

I call that fundamentally different from Kindle's DRM.

These are for retail editions. OEM licenses are node locked for OEM
support requirements:

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/transfer_oem_licenses.aspx

Volume licenses depend on the contract terms agreed upon by Microsoft
and the volume licensee.

-- 
Rich P.