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NEWS: Software... free or otherwise?



Of relevance to the manner in which Linux views copyrights, even if
this refers to music... FN

ANTI-PIRACY DEVICES IRK SOME DESKTOP USERS The Content Protection for
Recordable Media (CPRM) technology developed by major electronics firms
to prevent music piracy over the Internet is sparking a backlash among
Internet activists. If CPRM is ultimately installed on desktop
computers, the technology could restrict users from making copies of
their own files, activists say. CPRM's creators, which include Intel,
IBM, Matsushita, and Toshiba, say the technology will not be installed
on desktop computers, which is a problem in itself because users
could still make illegal copies of music files on their PCs.
However, activists believe that CPRM will eventually make its way
onto the desktop at the insistence of the movie industry and
other CPRM supporters. CPRM is designed to install a serial
number in disk drives and flash memory. A digital music player
would use the serial number to produce an encryption key for all
data files on the device. The technology could be configured to
prevent all attempts to copy files stored on the device.
(Boston Globe, 2 January 2001)