| > For example, its hardware video decoding capabilities might be unlocked, if a separate digital license is acquired in the store [1]. One particular format. It'll do h264 fine, it's only MPEG-2 that it won't do in hardware unless you buy a license. > Effectively, even if the user does not want to access an encrypted content or use the "premium" functionality, he is being kept in a jail to make sure this premium stuff is not used. Effectively kept in a jail? I've got a raspberry pi in the corner of the room, I still seem to be able to leave. This is identical to any service with a premium. > 1. The customers are treated as property to be sold or rented. With slavery, people are actually bought and sold. They then belong to someone else. When you watch a video with DRM you just can't copy it. > 1. The customers are treated as property to be sold or rented. There're video dongles/boxes on the market which stream content to the TV. Wait, are you saying that it's slavery for the dongles? > The manufacturers of this devices may actually sell the access to the users of this device to the content providers. In the same way that the newspapers do, but I wouldn't say when I'm reading the paper I'm being sold into slavery. > 2. The customers may be shown ads against their will In return for watching the programme. That part is key. If we were being held down and forced to watch it, then I'd agree more but you aren't. It's just part of the transaction. |