RE: The challenge of serving *EVERYONE* (was RE: Mozilla blog: DRM and the Challenge of Serving Users)

Bob Ham wrote:
>
> > no Netflix, no Amazon Prime, no Hulu, no HBO Go
>
> That would be great!

You might think so, but these services have lots and lots of clients already, 
so you do not share a universal sentiment.

>
> > Brazilian television broadcasters, seeking to purchase entertainment
> > content from outside of the country, may find that no-one is willing
> > to sell them that content
>
> Which would mean they would have to invest their money in producers of
> unencumbered content, in creative people who are more interested in
> producing content worthy of being shared than they are in preventing
> sharing.  This is a good thing, right?

Once again, that depends on your perspective. I've had more than one person 
tell me directly to my face that their justification for pirating Game of 
Thrones was because they didn't want to have to wait until HBO released it in 
their country. So clearly that person wanted non-domestic content - RIGHT 
AWAY!!!! - and was quite prepared to steal it, as if it was their god-given 
right to have access to that content, and to heck with the content owners 
rights. The sense of self-entitlement is beyond imagination.


>
> > I am hard
> > pressed to imagine that the Brazilian people and government would be
> > interested in presenting themselves on the world stage as thieves and
> > outlaws
>
> Equating the banning of DRM with thievery and criminality is a real
> stretch.

That is not what I said, but it is typical of the kinds of responses I often 
get. What I said was that most rational proponents of premium media and 
content protection on the web understand that if you try to ban the *majority* 
of users from accessing the content legally, that some (many?) will pursue 
illegal means. This holds true BTW whether we are talking about Digital 
Entertainment, or alcohol or drugs - prohibition doesn't work.

Given that the majority of users "just want their video", why would a 
government impose a law restricting them from having it legally?


> You talk about Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt and yet you
> yourself purvey it.  That you would try to make a government who is
> working against DRM afraid of being seen as "thieves and outlaws" says
> a lot.

Actually, I said people first, government second.

Look, if you really think that the Brazilian population is so with you on this 
that they are prepared to give up their foreign entertainment content, and 
that the Brazilian television industry is quite happy to license their 
telenovellas around the globe without content protection, then all the power 
to them. It would be their imperative and right. All I am suggesting is that 
not all content creators in the global marketplace might agree, which will 
have a ripple effect in Brazil. For every action, there is a reaction. That's 
not FUD, that is reality.


>
> > It is premium entertainment
>
> LOL

I am glad you are entertained.

JF

Received on Friday, 16 May 2014 15:17:50 UTC