[Groop] Fw: OT - Harvey Awards night

[Tone]

Larry,

	I am not arguing your point or Sergio’s. I totally agree with you both. I
realize I can be verbose in my messages (to put it lightly), so I do not
post often, but if you read my entire e-mail you would see I was placing
the digital copy side of the argument as if it existed in a protected
format. I actually explained an ideal digital anti-piracy format would be
where someone subscribes as a user to a server full of copyrighted
material. A user could purchase the rights to experience the content, but
would never download it. Instead they would stream it while experiencing
it. The hardware involved would have measures in place to ensure more
strict protection of the content from being freely copied and
distributed.
	I used Xbox 360s and Xbox Live only as one example. On an Xbox a user,
who deletes content, does so usually only because they are running out of
space on their local hard drives. However, someone attempting to
duplicate purely digital content illegally is either restricted or
becomes completely banned once the network detects the illegal content.
That is why buyers of used Xbox 360s should be extremely cautious because
some used Xboxes are sold as banned systems. They can play a game from a
disc like normal, but they can not access Xbox Live for all the other
content.
	Once the technology for fully streaming content is more widely and
cheaply available for true streaming access (and it already is for
comics, music, and movies), copyright holders can safely distribute usage
of their content to only paying customers. Only the copyright holders
would ever be able to publish their content on a providing network. There
just has to be appropriate procedures, programs, file formats and
possibly compatible devices to work with the system. The end user would
never actually store a permanent copy of the content.
	In video gaming, systems such as the Xbox 360 are almost there, but the
content is still mostly stored locally on a hard drive, which is more
susceptible to copying. However, even when considering that factor, its
protection of content is quite secure. For instance, even if you tried to
play a multiplayer game off a boot-legged disc the network can detect the
illegal copy and actually ban your entire Xbox 360 from accessing the
network. I knew a guy back in NY, who downloaded a free illegal Spanish
version of Halo on-line and burned it to disc. When he played it in a
multiplayer session on his Xbox he got black-flagged and can no longer
access Xbox Live with that Xbox 360. Basically it caused his system to go
from a gold membership to a permanent Silver membership.

	In a true streaming scenario any copy-right holder could simply set up an
internet accessible domain with user accounts and password access, which
would host only streaming content formats and keep a record of users’
assigned device serial numbers (For example: every Xbox 360 has a serial
number separate from a user’s IP address). The device ID embedded into
the hardware would be cross-checked in the network to make sure it
corresponds with the correct user’s log-in name and password for the
duration of their connection to the network. Once connected, the user can
then experience any of their previously purchased content as much as they
want or purchase new content. The content files would remain on the
network. Just like on Xbox Live, everyone accessing the network would
need both a physical ID associated with a unique device as well as a user
account. Anyone trying to hack in to get around that protection would
have their device black-flagged until the situation can be resolved or
the device ID banned.
	In this scenario the average six year old or any person, who is lame
enough to not want to pay for created content, would not have the skills
to by pass the protection system. It sucks that such measures have to be
incorporated for everyone’s enjoyment for digital content, but as you say
there are just free-loaders out there, who do not appreciate the true
value of content. Screw them for making everyone else’s experience more
costly and inconvenient.
_TONE_