[dvd-discuss] Digital Rights Management Gedanken Experiments

[microlenz(at)earthlink.net]

As I started my morning commute onto the vast parking lots known 
as the LA Freeways, I pondered some of the implications of DRM 
upon "normal usage" of things. By Normal, I mean as we have 
used things before.

Before we had 45s, one song CDs, One Song tapes. Now let's look 
at what kind of DRM we can put on it, being mischievous and 
devious. You got N days to play it or it goes away. Now that one 
isn't going to work out very well. That's not personal property, that's 
a license. Are they going to let people negociate the license? And 
what's the basis for saying 30 days costs more than 300days 
(except for base greed). But conceivably if this idea doesn't bite the 
big one in the market place as the sword of caveat emptor swings 
back upon the content media provider (e.g. DiVx).

So...maybe a better idea is to put a DRM that allows one to play it 
N times. That's almost personal property and they get to have the 
consumer coming back for more copies (and more money). Now 
this works out GREAT for the lastest SONGS of one hit 
wonders...what of albums?

 Does the album get N plays? All the way through? OR just N 
starts to play it? Does changing your mind in mid play mean that 
the consumer forfeits one of the N plays or do they get N complete 
plays? OR do they get N plays of every track? In any of these 
cases I wind up with something that I can't play the parts I really 
like after a time and can only play the parts I don't like. Now..what 
about multiple sets? (e.g., the collected works of Richard Strauss 
that I have. CD#7 doesn't play in the CD changer now but the rest 
of them do....this is what got me started on this gedanken 
experiment). 

Any other ideas for mischievious and devious DRM schems?