Sorry if I came off a bit harsh. I wasn't trying to suggest that PaladinMJ was interested in pirating the video clips. I was trying to mock the attitude of the companies that implement this kind of DRM. In other words, they ASSUME you are a pirate even when you only want to apply fair use rights to content you paid for.
I guess the sarcasm got lost somehow.
I also get frustrated by posts like this, because they make it obvious to me that there are people such as PaladinMJ and cmpm who
don't know what DRM is and I feel like they really
should know, but how does one effectively spread the word on something like this? Even here, where I'd expect posters to be fairly tech savvy, knowledge about DRM seems to be far from universal.
DRM is an abhorrent practice for many of the reasons stated. It deprives law-abiding people of their rights while presenting no hindrance at all to big time criminals. It's stated purpose is to prevent "causal" piracy: preventing "ordinary" people from copying media to share with their friends & family. Transparently, it's purpose is also about forcing consumers into purchasing the same content multiple times thus inflating profits. And with Windows Vista, DRM is sunk so deep into the operating system, and has its tentacles in so many different places, there's hardly anything you can do on your computer won't be subject to a tug on the string from some corporation or other.
I've read some articles recently that say that DRM is on the ropes, but as much as I want to believe this, I find the idea hard to accept. Corporations have been plotting and building and lobbying for years to gain this power. They are not just going to give it up. It fits in too neatly with the top-down command-and-control mindset that most of them use to govern themselves - the very essence of their existence. Power is hardly ever surrendered, it must be taken away - and the only way to do that is to all but eliminate the demand for copy-protected content.
But how can such a thing be done?
Most people don't care about "rights" or "large institutions versus freedom." They
just want to watch a movie.
Actually, now that I think about it, I regret the message that I posted earlier. Everyone who gets bitten by DRM wants what PaladinMJ wants: a quick, technical fix that will just make it go away. As long as people think that such a thing is out there, for only the cost of a few dollars or a post on a message board, they're never going to feel stuck enough to wake up and realize that "go along to get along" only invites further and more severe abuse.
Well, I may not be able to solve the problem, but I can at least stop perpetuating it. I hereby pledge that I will never again offer technical advice for circumventing DRM, even in the abstract. The only thing of merit I said in my earlier post was that he should call them and demand his money back. Although I meant it as a joke, I realize now it's the only thing that will make the slightest difference in the long run.
So PaladinMJ, I'd urge you to call up Direct2Drive, complain vehemently that their copy protection is abridging your fair use rights, cancel your subscription (if any) and demand a refund. They'll probably come back with some blather about a license agreement or terms of service you agreed to when signing up for the site. Don't back down. You can tell them that these "clickwrap" agreements have never been held up in court (they haven't) and that recent federal court rulings have shown that one-sided, take-it-or-leave-it terms of service agreements are "contracts of adhesion" and are therefore legally unenforceable (
which is also true). If you don't get satisfaction, call your credit card company and see if it's not too late to reverse the charges.
Don't say anything about BitTorrent though.
Oh, and take lots of notes, you might need 'em.
