Oh, I know, THAT sounds thrilling. Even MORE exciting? It’s a bunch of panel discussions the FTC (Federal Trade Commission in the States) put on a short while ago. You can scarcely contain your joy! I can tell! And who can blame you?! Panel discussions about DRM system hosted by a government bureaucracy?! Sign me up twice!
Actually, they were surprisingly interesting. I turned in even though I expected an overly monotonous blathering in tones of dull spoken in the hideous language known as ‘Lawyerese’. I was pleasantly surprised. They’re actually quite accessible, and quite interesting, as they discuss the various aspects of DRM’s use in entertainment products (music, moves, games) and it’s impact on consumers. They also lined up quite a diverse cast of people to speak (though the computer gaming world was a bit light on speakers as these took place during the recent Game Developers’ Conference).
Anyway, the whole thing can still be accessed online here. There are transcripts of each panel, if you feel like reading for a LOOONG time. Or you can hit the Blue button next to Windows Media Player and watch/listen to them (you can actually use a different player if you want).
The most interesting part for me…in one of the later discussions, one of the panelists was the head of a company called ByteShield…they do DRM for business software. He had a refreshingly honest take on things, not only talking about how he always recommends DRM that ends after a certain period of time has passed, but also describing SecuROM as ‘something that should be illegal’.
Anyway, listen, watch, read or don’t, but the option’s yours.
And now I’ve posted something…woohoo, covered for a week or so!
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