[shmerl]

Cory Doctorow was the one who compared DRM usage to Lysenkoism. See his explanation here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blog...

In short, it means that logic of DRM usage is completely invalid and based on false premises (when someone tries to justify it using reasons like increasing sales for example and such).

There can be other possible reasons for DRM usage, which aren't Lyseknoist, but simply crooked. I.e. for instance, covering up incompetence, competition exclusion, standards poisoning, undemocratic policy making and so on. Those are done to achieve dirty goals, and they are harder to counteract than ignorance.

[ksk]

> false premises (when someone tries to justify it using reasons like increasing sales for example and such).

How is it a false premise? For the sake of argument, lets say we have a "perfect" DRM method.

Then do you believe that - for e.g. all the people who're pirating Windows - would switch to a competing product because they were not going to buy it in the first place? IMHO That would be a completely erroneous position. Maybe _some_ might, but there is no evidence that everyone would. Which is the crux of the problem. If DRM didn't increase sales then I don't think you could make the argument that every single publisher who uses DRM is doing it for reasons other than sales.

[shmerl]

> How is it a false premise?

Because DRM is decreasing sales, not increasing them.

> lets say we have a "perfect" DRM method.

There is no perfect DRM. But let's say there is very hard to break DRM. That means very abusive, extremely privacy invasive policing method. It would fall even more into the crooked territory.

> If DRM didn't increase sales then I don't think you could make the argument that every single publisher who uses DRM is doing it for reasons other than sales.

Why not? I could make an argument that some do it out of ignorance, and the rest (of DRM users) are crooks. That's exactly what I'm saying. I.e. those who aren't dumb are using it for crooked reasons which have nothing to do with preventing piracy (I listed such common reasons above). And the rest (who use it indeed for sales sake) are digital Lysenkoists.

[ksk]

>Because DRM is decreasing sales, not increasing them.

Based on what?

[shmerl]

> Based on what?

Based on crippling the product for those who pay for it. I.e. there will be those who will simply skip it because of DRM altogether.

In addition, some skilled pirates will remove DRM and provide that product without crippling for everyone else, and there will be those who otherwise could buy it, if it would have been DRM-free, but because it's DRMed they will pirate it instead.

The bottom line - DRM means lost sales.

[ksk]

So the answer to my question, as best as I can understand, seems to be "Based on my opinion". Is that correct?

[shmerl]

No, that's not correct. It's based on research how DRM reduces sales. An opinion on the other hand is the idea that crippling products increases sales. That's exactly what was called digital Lysenkoism.