Interesting People mailing list archives
-- more on -- Auntie's Digital Revolution by the author
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 08:27:30 -0400
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 04:29:30 -0700 From: "Danny O'Brien" <danny () spesh com> Subject: Re: [IP] Auntie's Digital Revolution On Thu, Aug 28, 2003 at 07:10:29AM -0400, Dave Farber wrote: > > >X-Sender: nbr () popin newcastle ac uk > >Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 10:54:18 +0100 > >To: farber () cis upenn edu > >From: Brian Randell <Brian.Randell () newcastle ac uk> > > > > > >Hi Dave: > > > >For IP > > > >I recommend the article "Auntie's Digital Revolution" in the computer > >section of today's edition of the Guardian newspaper. ("Auntie" is a > >well-known affectionate name for the BBC, at least here in the UK.) > >> >The article describes in more detail than I, at any rate, have seen before> >the BBC's recently unveiled plans to make lots of its back catalogue of > >programmes freely available online, and documents the role played by > >Lawrence Lessig and Brewster Kahle in this decision. > > > >The subtitle to the piece is however strange, in that it talks about > >making the archives "free for licence players", though it is not at all > >obvious from the actual text that there is any plan to restrict access to > >licence payers, leave alone how this might be achieved. (Here in the UK, > >you need to purchase an annual licence fee in order to operate a > >television set - these fess provide the BBC's main source of income.) > > > >The article can be found at: > > > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1030176,00.html > > I wrote that piece, and I should emphasise that (despite the subtitle) it's only a description of one tack that the BBC *could* take in presenting the Archive. As far as I know, no definite decision has been taken; the Archive itself is in its very earliest stages. But the very fact that this option of approaching it in a minimal DRM, free to redistribute manner is being discussed internally at all is heartening. The question of whether such files can be restricted from non-licence payers is a key one here. On one side, the BBC has traditionally divided its approach between domestic and foreign markets, taking a more commercial approach outside the UK than when dealing with the licence paying public. However, we are dealing with a new situation. If the BBC's back catalogue is provided in such a way as it could be distributed by the public themselves - using technology as sophisticated as BitTorrent, or as simple as fans passing copies between each other, then it would actually be *cheaper* for the BBC to provide its resources to all than attempt to restrict them to the UK by including complex, proprietary and ultimately hackable digital rights management systems. My conversations with individuals within the BBC indicate that they know this. I suspect the great stumbling block may be whether they can explain the new situation to the licence-paying public: that being more generous with their heritage will be less costly than hoarding it. I've continued the article at my blog, here: http://www.oblomovka.com/entries/2003/08/28#1062061680 and there is further discussion here (including a comment by Brewster Kahle) http://www.quicktopic.com/23/H/fqUqqvK8nFM Best wishes, d. > >Cheers > > > >Brian > >-- > >School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, > >NE1 7RU, UK > >EMAIL = Brian.Randell () ncl ac uk PHONE = +44 191 222 7923 > >FAX = +44 191 222 8232 URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/ > > ------------------------------------- > You are subscribed as danny () spesh com > To manage your subscription, go to > http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip > > Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/ >
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- -- more on -- Auntie's Digital Revolution by the author Dave Farber (Aug 28)