IP: Re: Copy-protected CDs quietly slip into stores

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> cc: lauren () vortex com
> Subject: Re: IP: Copy-protected CDs quietly slip into stores
> Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 16:36:22 -0700
> From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
>
> There are two particularly interesting technical aspects to
> this issue:
>
>   1) The copy-protection mechanism involved (as I understand it from
>      published reports) attempts to avoid introducing any distortion for
>      "ordinary" CD players, while introducing various forms of audible read
>      errors when those audio CDs are played on CD-ROM drives.  This not only
>      affects typical CD-ROM drives in standard computers and laptops, etc.,
>      but also apparently some high-end consumer audio players that use CD-ROM
>      technology in their units.
>
>   2) The copy-protection effort seems to be largely predicated on the
>      premise that if people can't make a first-generation digital copy, they
>      won't copy at all and won't try to swap the material.  But of course,
>      CDs can also be copied to MP3 files (or whatever) through an analog
>      connection to a computer (albeit with more hassle in the absence of
>      specialized software) with excellent audio quality.  All that the
>      copy-protection system does is try to prevent a first-generation
>      digital copy straight off the CD.  However, if instead an initial
>      analog-generation copy is made, further digital copies could be made
>      from that initial file without any audio interference as far as I
>      know.  Would most users of file-swapping services (for example) notice
>      any audio difference between these two modalities of copies?
>      I suspect not.
>
> So it would appear that the overall effective scope of the copy-protection
> system may actually be fairly limited in terms of reducing piracy, while
> still potentially creating hassles for significant numbers of legitimate
> users who try to play their audio CDs on CD-ROM-based systems.
>
> --Lauren--
> Lauren Weinstein
> lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org
> Co-Founder, PFIR: People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
> Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
> Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy



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