Found via Ars Technica: Perhaps the great Spore DRM backlash has had an effect after all. The Federal Trade Commission is going to hold a “town hall meeting” to discuss the issue of Digital Rights Management in general.
Digital rights management (DRM) refers to technologies typically used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, and copyright holders to attempt to control how consumers access and use media and entertainment content. Among other issues, the workshop will address the need to improve disclosures to consumers about DRM limitations. Interested parties may submit written comments or original research on this topic.
The meeting will apparently address the use of DRM not only in gaming, but in all fields—including e-books.
There is a web form on the official site where comments may be submitted. Ars Technica writes that citizens may also submit comments and requests “electronically to drmtownhall@ftc.gov by January 30, 2009″ but I am not able to see where they found this information anywhere on the DRM Town Hall page.
This sort of opportunity to have our voices heard directly by a governmental body does not come along very often! If you have any kind of feelings about Digital Rights Management at all, do not miss this chance to speak up!
I’ve submitted my comments to the FTC:
http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/01/tell-ftc-you-hate-drm.html
So have I. I was kind of lazy, though; I basically just modified the “What’s Wrong With DRM?” section of my TeleRead DRM Primer to include a few non-e-book examples and submitted that. (And added a couple more examples of why DRM is bad, too.)
If this works the way other government request-for-comment projects have, then in February we’ll get to see everyone’s comments and be able to write responses to them.
Following Apple’s decision to drop DRM, this is another day, more good news. Thanks for the links, Mike and Chris. I’m going to link to them on my blog.
DRM is just a lame attempt at protecting something that people who legally buy it would never make available publicly.
And those who steal are not hindered by DRM.
I find my time well spent waiting for appointments, traveling, etc. by reading on my BlackBerry…and a good deal of the material was purchased from MobiPockets. I am upgrading my BlackBerry to an iPhone next week and lament the horrid state and lack of paying attention to customers’ wants.
In these economic times, it’s not wise to irritate your customers, and if MobiPockets is hiding behind the DRM debate, then shame on them….and shame on a technology that hinders the free trade of books–of intellect!
Open this up!