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On Tue, 28 Dec 1999, Mental wrote:
> First. Reverse engineering something isnt inherently illegal. Its not
> any different than if mickeysoft decides to use a simple xor to 'encrypt'
> passwords it stores in the registry and someone points it out. Security
> through obscurity is proven to not work.
It's not the same. The purpose of the encryption is to protect the
copyrighted material. The hash algorithm used for passwords in the
Windows registry isn't there to protect MS's copyrighted material.
> Second. An open spec does NOT mean an insecure easily cracked,
> "vulnerable" implementation. See PGP for an example.
Still, not the same. In order for a DVD decoder to work, it has to have
the encryption key, not just an encryption algorithm. In order for it to
be "open", it'll need to have source code. With the source code, you can
change what you do with the data (as you acknowledge later). Tell me, how
is the movie industry supposed to assured that copying won't happen?
Especially given the "f*** you" attitude that's been taken over this,
already?
> It is my opinion that this DVD problem and oddly enough the recent
> release of the quake source are symptoms of the same problem. ESR wrote
> some nice thoughts on the subject.
Not familiar with the circumstances of the Quake source release.
Incidentally, I seem to recall Eric saying that even he doesn't expect
everything to be Open Source, and I don't think he thinks that it's
applicable to everything. Eric, if you're still here, correct me, if I'm
wrong.
> I have no great technical knowlege of the subject, however it seems to
> me that implementing a weak encryption scheme and then complaining when
> its subverted isnt any more of a solution than the RIAA trying to stamp
> out mp3's.
Oh, please. That's like saying that it's okay for someone to be robbed
because their house wasn't built like Fort Knox.
> An open spec that utilized something similar to private/public keys
> might work. Then again, if you can read it, you can write it. Further,
> talk about practicality. Do you have any idea how BIG a ripped DVD is?
> The cost of the blank media alone plus the const of storage space/time
> to download is greater than the cost of just buying the DVD.
Honestly, do you really think that's an issue? These were the same
arguments made about CDs and VHS tapes.
> The recording industry made the same noize about cd-r's. They made the
> same fuss about cassette tapes. What you're witnessing is nothing more
> than naked greed. At least in my opinion.
Oh, yes. I forgot the freakin' Linux/Open Source mantra: no one is
allowed to have legitimate, traditional business goals, such as making a
profit. And yes, I do support Linux, I'm just starting to see the Linux
community as more self-deluding as time goes on.
> Piracy is going to happen. It happens to music, software, you name it.
> There are certain individuals who are _never_ going to buy things.
> Its not a lost sale. They're not loosing money. Given the choice, these
> are people who would never have paid money to begin with.
Just because piracy is going to happen doesn't make it legal, right, or
acceptable. And yes, it does cause lost sales. Pirates do not
necessarily limit themselves to a personal copy. If they can make a copy
for themselves, they can make a copy for others and sell it, at a cheap
price. And given a digital medium, you're not going to have the
degradation problems that you have with VHS/tape. So there's no motive
whatsoever to buy a legitimate copy. There are already examples among
CDs. Read up on Son May CDs and Japanese music CDs. They're just as good
as the Japanese originals, and they're far cheaper. People who buy SM CDs
never buy the legitimate ones. Oh, and they're illegal in the US, even
though they're legal in Korea.
Michael W. Ryan, MCP, MCT | OTAKON 2000
mryan@netaxs.com | Convention of Otaku Generation
http://www.netaxs.com/~mryan/ | http://www.otakon.com/
PGP fingerprint: 7B E5 75 7F 24 EE 19 35 A5 DF C3 45 27 B5 DB DF
PGP public key available by fingering mryan@unix.netaxs.com (use -l opt)
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