Re: [Linux-aus] Microsoft Office 2003 lock-in via DRM

[Jonathan Oxer <jon@ivt.com.au>]

On Wed, 2003-09-03 at 13:48, Stewart Smith wrote:
> Les Bell said:
> > I've just been having some discussions about this very topic in Another
> > Place. The general opinion seems to be that it's not possible to
> > implement an open source DRM system; someone quoted me Bruce Schneier:
> 
> I'd argue that it's not possible *at all* to implement a DRM system. So,
> if I run my Wanky MasterPlayer that only lets me play my purchased music

Good point, because once you've disclosed the content to someone, it's
almost impossible to stop them then passing it on even if they've got to
sit there and type it in again, or stick a tape recorder next to a
speaker and create a bootleg copy.

If it's just a matter of stopping it falling into the wrong hands, and
you trust the person you're giving it to, then GPG would solve the
problem nicely.

But I suspect a large part of the problem here is that while they are
going to market this as being beneficial for internal use by companies
who trust their staff, they're *really* creating it for the benefit of
content providers who *don't* trust their end users.

Like themselves.

Cheers  :-)

Jonathan