After a lot of thinking about DRM over the years, I realised this is one of the great myths.
Yes, DRM is often readily broken. And yes, much of the content is available via "alternative sources" for those who know where to look and how to protect themselves from whatever else might try to come along for the ride. Those who really want to rip something and have a bit of know-how will most likely be able to do it sooner or later.
However, DRM can still prove a significant impediment to casual copying, which in itself may protect significant revenues for the content providers. DRM also makes it very clear to those with access to the content that certain things -- say, trying to keep permanent copies of content streamed from sites like Netflix that rely on subscriptions to operate -- are not intended to be possible. Again, in a culture where a lot of people have barely even heard of copyright and just assume anything available online is free, that can be a big win.
> Those who really want to rip something and have a bit of know-how will most likely be able to do it sooner or later.
The kind of piracy it does prevent is putting movies you've watched onto a USB stick and handing it to a friend who doesn't pay for a subscription.
For distributing pirated content online, people wanting to download pirate content still have to spelunk through torrent trackers or Popcorn Time or whatever to actually get the video, whether it was distributed originally with DRM or not. DRM-free just makes life a little bit easier for the uploaders.
Not saying it's right, but in practical terms, I'm rather certain they would lose all their contracts with major studios / content holders. They're in such a tough & unique position.
Oh, for sure- it's not like it's Netflix that cares, its the contracts they have with content owners. I guess they could turn off DRM for the show they produce but that sounds like a technical hassle for no gain.
Some gain. Some attempt could be made to then compare piracy rates of netflix's non-drm vs drm content. They'd be showing good will to those who side with "Cancel Netflix"
Netflix has moved into the content creator sphere as a direct rebuttal to the, well, extortion that content holders have hung over their heads.
I was listening to a local talk radio station (1310 The Ticket) which does an 'Entertainment News' segment and they mentioned that the chief of FX went on record lamenting that Netflix might become a go-to for content.
One of the situations they mentioned was the upcoming Playboy series done in partnership with Hugh Heffner. The discussion was about how that series might have landed on FX or AMC a few years ago - now? Now it's a proprietary Netflix show.
I'm pivoting more toward screenwriting for 2017 and saw some chatter that Netflix doesn't particularly take "pitches" from the traditional Hollywood / content system. They reach out. According to the source, a meeting with Netflix is one of the hardest to "get" because of this approach.
They're trying to turn the tables and it seems to be paying dividends - at least from a customer engagement standpoint. Offering exclusive content is a whole different conversation (re: Drake, Chance the Rapper & Apple Music) but their actions are becoming recognized. I can definitely respect the move on general principle.
The question to be asked in turn is rooted in why would Netflix play by different rules than they had been subjected to re: DRM when the established system has trained a majority of customers to accept it.
From my perspective, Netflix and other legal streaming services have dealt quite a blow to the torrent scene. I'm sure there are private trackers that are alive and well, but the scene in total seems diminished even from a few years ago.
Personally I prefer to do my 'piracy' the old-fashioned way: at my local public library. Better selection than all but the most elite torrent sites...
Is it actually diminished, or just more out of the public eye?
I don't go trawling around for pirated content, but I've stopped hearing much in the news about big "busts" of things like Suprnova every other week - I think the first one I heard about in months, if not years, was all the noise around KickAssTorrents being shut down.
The argument is way more nuanced than whether something is on torrent or not. Which is why it appears that I'm arguing against myself. I'm not.
I originally brought up that without DRM, someone could rip netflix's entire catalog and publish it straight to bittorrent. Thats a concern to IP stakeholders and likely a big reason they require DRM from Netflix.
He's saying "they're on torrent already, so why should netflix use DRM?". I'm countering that argument with the fact that just because something is available DRM-free on torrent doesn't mean it's as easy to access as Netflix, which requires DRM.
The broader point is that DRM can be technically ineffective, as in it can be circumvented, but it can still be "functional", as in fulfilling its originally intended function. DeCSS was published in '99, yet it's still not easy for an average user (grandma) to duplicate a DVD.
> DeCSS was published in '99, yet it's still not easy for an average user (grandma) to duplicate a DVD.
Would ripping a DVD really be easier without the DRM, for an average user? To strip the DRM you just need to have libdvdcss (or whatever) installed, and your ripping software strips the DRM without you even knowing it's there. It's not much harder than ripping a CD.
HandBrake doesn't even tell you there's any DRM- it's completely transparent, more or less one button to rip.
Yes, DRM is often readily broken. And yes, much of the content is available via "alternative sources" for those who know where to look and how to protect themselves from whatever else might try to come along for the ride. Those who really want to rip something and have a bit of know-how will most likely be able to do it sooner or later.
However, DRM can still prove a significant impediment to casual copying, which in itself may protect significant revenues for the content providers. DRM also makes it very clear to those with access to the content that certain things -- say, trying to keep permanent copies of content streamed from sites like Netflix that rely on subscriptions to operate -- are not intended to be possible. Again, in a culture where a lot of people have barely even heard of copyright and just assume anything available online is free, that can be a big win.