Fox extends Digital Copy to iTunes – the hidden story of Macworld
Fox is finally giving people what they really want, the right to digitally copy DVD movies. After years of Motion Picture Association of America oppression, the film industry might finally see the light of the 21st Century.
Could 2008 finally see the end of DRM?
The story was barely a footnote in Steve Jobs’ keynote at Macworld this week. Jim Gianopulous, chairman of 20th Century Fox introduced Digital Copy to iTunes. It’s anew system available on select Fox DVDs that will allow users to integrate its content with iTunes. It’s more than just a handy way to carry your DVD movies on your iPod, it’s the start of a significant change in attitude for the movie business.
We saw the decline of DRM in the music industry in 2007, and this could be the year we finally see similar digital advances in the film industry.
The MPAA has employed the tactics the Recording Industry Association of America uses to protect the music studios from piracy. The studio thugs take legal action against average people accused of file sharing songs or movies. It’s long been the MPAA’s philosophy that the consumer doesn’t have the right to copy DVDs, even just for backup.
DRM on DVD movies takes the form of an encryption system used on all DVD movies to prevent you from copying them to your computer. Although decrypting software is easy to find, the MPAA considers it illegal.
The MPAA doesn’t care that the US Supreme Court calls making personal copies of media "fair use" based on the precedent setting Sony V. Universal in 1984. Hire enough lawyers and apparently you get to make your own rules, the Constitution be damned!
A DRM-Free Future
Fox’s Digital Copy not only allows users to copy its movies to their computer’s hard drive but it seamlessly integrates with iTunes. This will allow users to sync Fox’s content with Apple’s mobile devices, such as an iPod or iPhone for viewing anyplace they want.
Fox actually started Digital Copy with its DVD release of Live Free or Die Hard last November. Customers who bought a special version of Live Free or Die Hard on DVD were permitted to make a legal, DRM-free copy of the film on their computer.
Warner quickly followed suit in December as the second film studio to allow digital copies of its movies with a special release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Sure, the titles are limited at this time. But it’s a hopeful sign that the movie studios are moving into the 21st Century.
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The easiest thing in the world to do is to copy a DVD or CD
Crackers an decrypters have been the main stay of our code cracking methods.
Then there is P2P. Torrents have given us the method to fight you at the very same time given the world a seam less way to download already cracked movies or anything we so choose to download.
Hope you all spend billions wasting your time.
Buying movies. Never will happen. Freeeeeeeeee is the way to go.
Everything you're talking about - bit-torrent, decrypters to backup your movies, downloading copyright material from the Internet mostly illegal and against the wishes of the MPAA (MPAA are movie police).
Whether you take the law seriously or not... copying your DVD movie to your HDD was made legal with the blessing of a movie studio for the very first time ever. That's the breakthrough that was the point of this post.
Now, remember to brush your teeth
Ciao, baby!