[ubuntu-uk] Alan Cox Files DRM Patent (article)

[Paul Sladen]

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007, alan c wrote:
> ] Alan Cox [..] filed a patent application [regarding] DRM.
> ] Upon detection of a violation of these terms, state information 
> ] pertaining to the computer program is saved
> interesting times eh?

I haven't entirely worked out the stategy (just getting media attention,
perhaps).  Currently life with DRM goes like this:

  1. Computer/OS detects expired license key for $program
  2. Computer/OS 'kill -9's $program
  3. User gets really annoyed at $program loosing $X hours of work

After a few times of users having their work trashed, they are going to be
fairly angry---but, there is a way of making them less angry;  instead of
killing the program, suspend the program (or even the whole OS) to a safe
protected place, until a new key has been purchased and entered.  So:

  1. Computer/OS detects expired license key for $program
  2. Computer/OS suspend $program
  3. User knows that $X hours of work are 'held-to-ransom', buys new license
  4. Computer/OS resumes $program with work still in-tact.

What is being patented is the latter.  This means that DRM comes down to:

  (a) Broken and unusable, or (b) Patented by Cox.

A statement is made that Cox's 'unique' technique will not be available to
others, leading to a situation where DRM is "Broken and unusable". Users
hopefully get quite upset at $N occasions of $X hours of work being lost,
leading to negative feelings and social-distrust against DRM.

	-Paul
-- 
Why do one side of a triangle when you can do all three.   London, GB