December 6th, 2007
Steve Jobs wants you to pay $4 to "space-shift" DVDs
It seems that Steve Jobs is looking for a new way to make money from consumers (Steve Jobs looking for a way to make money, that’s not news I hear you say … read on …).
This time his idea is that Hollywood should start selling “premium” DVDs that contain an iTunes-compatible version of the movie for an extra few bucks. This would allow consumers to legally have a copy of the DVD on any device - on any device that has the Apple logo on it, that is (which raises the idea that this is just another way of strengthening the ever-growing iPod/iTunes monopoly). It seems that fair use is OK in the eyes of Steve Jobs, as long as it comes at a price.
Now I’ve long held the belief that DRM has little to do with the prevention of piracy and everything to do with holding fair use to ransom. CDs were developed in the days before copy-protection and as such the idea that you can space-shift the data from the CD to PCs and portable music players became embedded amongst users. The use of DRM on DVDs and downloads prevents users from getting such ideas, and this means that fair use is now held under ransom. Apple’s moved a long way from the days of slogans such as “Rip. Mix. Burn.” which was the slogan used to promote iTunes back in 2001.
OK, but all that aside, how many would be interested in buying back their fair use rights for a few bucks? Is paying an extra $3 or $4 worth it to have to avoid the hassles of installing rip tools, or would having an iTunes-only version be of little use to you because you want to be able to move the movie onto non-Apple devices?
Also, let’s remember that while it is possible to take a DVD and rip it into a format compatible with an iPod (or pretty much any other device for that matter), such rip tools are classed as circumvention devices under the DMCA and as such illegal.
The success (or failure) of such ventures always comes down to the path of least resistance. Is it easier to pay a few dollars extra and avoid the hassle of having to rip the DVD yourself (and store it)? Is it easier to just rip it with free tools? Or is it just easier to take the illegal route and download it pre-ripped from P2P? For different people the answer will vary.
Thoughts?
Adrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations
Want to get in touch? Got a tip? Feel free to drop me a note! I ALWAYS respect anonymity. I'm also on Twitter (@the_pc_doc)
Right to Reply: Should any industry representatives wish to comment on any posts on Hardware 2.0, I will be happy to publish their reply verbatim on this blog.
Subscribe to Hardware 2.0 via Email alerts or RSS.
