[Geowanking] Re: GeoDRM

[Daniel Haran]

Hey, let's not get in a flame-war here, ok?

On 10/16/06, Josh at oklieb <josh at oklieb.net> wrote:
> Yes, most enforcement schemes can be defeated. The question is, are
> those defeating those systems doing so to support their legitimate
> usage rights or to steal someone else's legitimate IP rights. Do they
> know? Do they care or is it just whatever they can get their hands on?

As was pointed out above (SteveC, I believe), "infringe" is more exact
than "steal".

> It is actually more important in both a legal and business sense that
> such people (and those downstream from them) know when they are
> infringing on someone else's legitimate rights than that some
> protection system be 100% effective. This is distinct from particular
> privacy concerns, of course, such as Title 13.
>
> The point of the present GeoDRM work, however some might want to
> demonize it on the basis of the term, is first and foremost to define
> a system of rights information (metadata and protocols) which lets
> anyone who uses geospatial intellectual property, communicate and be
> clear on the terms of that use. This seems to me in the end a clearer
> and more effective way of documenting unfairness in particular
> protection schemes and moving toward more fair, less proprietary
> systems, than cracking them and ranting about them, but that's just
> my preference.

Of course people will demonize based on the term. Why was that term
even chosen!?

Technical folks know full well that DRM can't and won't work. There is
NO technical solution. Legal and community standards are far more
important, and don't run the chance of stopping legitimate users from
accessing their data. Either way, no one can stop all infringing uses.

Daniel.