The New York Times has a debate about copyright issues and technology between Rick Cotton, the general counsel of NBC Universal, and Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia Law School.
Monday’s Question
Should creators insist on technology that will restrict the copying and transmission of copyrighted works? Any lock can eventually be picked. Do these restrictions provide speed bumps to help keep honest people honest? Or do they create a permanent war between creators and users that may hurt everyone?
Read the full debate here.
Great DRM comment
There is a comment section after the debate. A user posted the following comment that I thought was very insightful:
Let’s hear some real talk about finding a balance between the two. For example, I know that, for myself, DRM-protected content has no value because it expires as technology changes. If I move on to a device other than an iPod, will I have to give up my music? Can we turn that problem around? What if the DRM expired? Would creators make enough revenue if the copy protection expired after 3 or 5 years? How’s that for flexibility? What is industry willing to sacrifice to make something usable for the consumer?