Welcome to "Day Against DRM"

Found on Ars Technica on Monday, 02 October 2006
Browse Various

Defective by Design is sponsoring a "Day Against DRM" today in an effort to spread the word about the trials, tribulations, and general badness of digital rights management schemes. Folks in hazmat suits (yes, hazmat suits) have dispersed across the globe to spread the gospel of unencrypted media, some of them even spotted by an Ars staffer in front of the Wrigley building in downtown Chicago.

Defective by Design is a project run by the Free Software Foundation, and it exists to protest the use of DRM in all forms. The project website quotes Peter Lee, a Disney executive, who once said, "If consumers even know there's a DRM, what it is, and how it works, we've already failed."

It's worth spreading the word about DRM, but it needs to be done in a thoughtful manner. Plenty of consumers would be fascinated to learn more about why they can't make backups of their DVDs or that they'll need DRM-compliant hardware to watch high-definition movies in Vista. If you've never had a heart-to-heart with friends or coworkers about the downsides of DRM, today's a good day to start.

It's important that everybody is aware of the restrictions DRM brings along. The only purpose of DRM is to protect the content in every possible way by limiting paying customers. No matter what the industry tells you: DRM is not for you, it's a development against the user. Stand up and refuse to use DRM infected products whenever you can; even better, let the dealers know why you won't buy infected media.