Ross's TCPA paper

[Thomas Tydal]

 [From: "Anonymous"]

> Let us suppose that this is the world ten years from now: you can run a
> secure OS in "trusted" mode and be eligible to download movies and music
> for a price; or you can run in untrusted mode and no one will let you
> download other than bootleg copies.  This is the horror, the nightmare
> vision which the doom-sayers frantically wave before us.

> The important thing to note is this: you are no worse off than today!

Well, first I want to say that I don't like the way it is today. I want things to get better. I can't read e-books on my pocket computer, for example, which is sad since I actually would be able to enjoy e-books if I only could load them onto my small computer that follows my everywhere. Yes, of course I could probably bypass the protection and make the e-book readable if I really wanted to, but I honestly don't want to. Besides the Sklyarov case I don't feel I should need to crack things I have legally purchased.

Second, what about CD's? Today I can buy music on CD's and use the sound the way I want. I can put it in my MP3 player and I can practically do anything with it using a wave editor. But what about the future? Would they sell unprotected versions of any album so I can listen to and process music with the program of my choice?


> You will still be able to use your system in exactly the same ways that
> you use it today; you will be able to run all of the software that you
> run today.

But not with the same data.

How good is Winamp if it can't play any music recorded in 2004 or later? Given that Windows Media Player can play all your tunes and it takes a reboot to switch to Winamp, who wouldn't stick with WMP?

And remember that Microsoft encourages us to protect our own files and documents. What will happen to the word processors, text editors and other programs we use today when there is no data left for them to use since everything has been protected?


> The TCPA allows you to do something that you can't do today: run your
> system in a way which convinces the other guy that you will honor your
> promises, that you will guard his content as he requires in exchange for
> his providing it to you.  It allows you to be honest.

Only problem is; I'm not the one giving promises, it's my computer! "Yes, I will make sure that the user only will be able to listen to this song three times. Don't you worry. His opinion doesn't matter. I'm in charge here."

I'm not saying there isn't a market for listening to songs a limited number of times for a smaller fee, I'm just worried they will take away the possiblity of listening an unlimited number of times (or make it noticeably more expensive).


> Realize that the "trusted" mode of the TCPA will always be only an option,

Bottom line; not if you want to work with protected content. (Which, from what I can understand, will include all future songs, movies and probably word documents and loads of other data as well.) Or am I missing something?



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