Re: [dvd-discuss] COMDEX speech

["Steve Hosgood" <steve(at)caederus.com>]

Michael Rolenz writes:
> Nor does the copyright clause [...] exist for him to maximize 
> his profits.
> 

Oh, come on! Of course it does. The whole reason for copyright is to allow
people to publish their works and not have any profits syphoned off by
freeloaders copying the things and selling it in competition with the author.

Quite right too IMHO. For a limited period.

Surely that's the crux of it.
Limited period must mean limited.
After that point, all existing copies of the copyrighted work become public
domain. That in turn implies that they must be out there in a form which allows
them to be used and copied freely after the copyright expires.

Therefore no DRM may be allowed on a copyrighted work.

Looking at it from the other angle, copyright exists to remedy the physical
problem that in order to be usable by the public, a work is inherently
copyable.

The law steps in to bar that copying for a time. But implied in all that is
the concept that the work was copyable in the first place. DRM removes that
'feature' by technology, thus copyright is no longer applicable.

--

Steve Hosgood                               |
steve@caederus.com                          | "A good plan today is better
Phone: +44 1792 203707 + ask for Steve      |   than a perfect plan tomorrow"
Fax:   +44 70922 70944                      |              - Conrad Brean
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