Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney From Piracy -- a response from Dan Bricklin

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Bob Frankston <Bob2-19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
Date: September 24, 2005 10:26:39 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: Dan Bricklin <Dan () Bricklin com>, 'Dewayne Hendricks'  
<dewayne () warpspeed com>
Subject: RE: [IP] Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney  
From Piracy -- a response from Dan Bricklin


I believe that Verizon is not spying on customers and not looking at
packets. What they agreed to do is forward emails from Disney  
addressed to
some type of ID (I assume IP address, reverse DNS, or something) without
letting Disney know the email address to which they send the emails.  
See:
http://investor.verizon.com/news/view.aspx?NewsID=672

Disney is the one who is alleging (and tracking) that a particular IP
address (or whatever) is "engaged in unauthorized distribution". I  
assume
this is something like making that material available on some sharing
network of some sort and any third party can find out that  
information --
you don't need to be the carrier. If you think the notices you  
receive are
in error, then you can tell Verizon. If you are distributing copyright
material in an illegal manner, you are in violation of the Verizon  
terms of
service (and copyright law).

Verizon has been putting money into defending attempts to get to their
customers, so be careful about knocking them here by misunderstanding
exactly what they are doing. We need to find out more (I'm sure it will
come out at some point) and not jump to conclusions. What exactly are in
these emails and how is Verizon involved in the response?

-DanB

==============

I thank Dan for toning down the discussion but I can't help but  
notice that
it is in return for getting Disney content and while that may be  
considered
normal bargaining it makes it clear that there is a corrupting  
element to
these deals.


-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2005 18:04
To: Ip Ip
Subject: [IP] Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney From  
Piracy



Begin forwarded message:

From: Bob Frankston <Bob2-19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
Date: September 24, 2005 12:40:56 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net, 'Ip Ip' <ip () v2 listbox com>
Cc: Hiawatha Bray <h_bray () globe com>, 'Drew Clark'
<drewclark () gmail com>, 'Dewayne Hendricks' <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Subject: RE: [IP] Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney
 From Piracy


Apologies for too many references that require some knowledge of
history --
those who don't know there is a history will get a chance to learn it
this
time around.

Drew Clark wrote about Verizon's complicity in today's National Journal
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-
USVF1127346400334.html

It seems to be the price Verizon is willing to pay to become a content
controller. After all, the defining principle of the Internet denies
them a
perch to creating billable events. Remember when they fought to protect
their users -- but now, as I point out, the Internet is only 1% of
the FIOS
capacity -- the rest is television. Of course they might also be
preparing
to sell to China.

This is another reason for a connectivity utility -- will cities that
provide broadband with TV and telephone service find themselves
beholden to
Disney? Will they even try to resist reporting on their friends and
neighbors? It would be un-American to resist when we pray to HUAC for
the
blessings it deigns to sell us.

I noticed the primary focus at this fall's http://www.von.com was
complexity in the middle as Telcos try to create a role for
themselves with
"IMS" being the center piece. (What is IMS? -- anything that creates
billable events in the middle of the network.)

Fear-mongering is also a crucial element and I have to chide Hiawatha
for
his story "Net phones vulnerable to sabotage". It's fear generated by
those
who want to sell antidotes. The "real" phone network -- the PSTN is far
more vulnerable to attack dialing and other threats.

The National Journal article was accompanied by ads from the CableCos
(NCTA) warning us about the attempts to force them to carry "many
untried
and untested broadcast channels". Twaddle of the worst kind. Putting
aide
what "tired and tested" content means, they can just put it all on their
VOD path and program the STB to "tune" into all of this. Broadcast is a
dead idea -- we have the capacity to do bidirectional individual
streaming!

Alas, it's too easy to give up freedom if one doesn't even realize
that the
restrictions are self-imposed. But lest we venture too far Mickey
will be
there to bring us back into line -- stay tuned for the movie version of
Maus with Mickey in black strutting along as imposes order and
opiates the
masses.


-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2005 17:11
To: Ip Ip
Subject: [IP] Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney From
Piracy



Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: September 22, 2005 9:17:07 PM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect
Disney From Piracy
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com


[Note:  Hummh..., this deal brings new meaning to the term 'open
access'!  DLH]

Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney From Piracy
By DIONNE SEARCEY and MERISSA MARR
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 22, 2005; Page D4

Stepping up the battle against entertainment piracy, Verizon
Communications Inc. and Walt Disney Co. have entered a long-term
programming deal that calls for the phone company to send a warning
to Internet users suspected of pirating Disney's content on its
broadband services.

Under the deal, one of the first of its kind in the television
industry, Disney will contact Verizon when the company suspects a
Verizon customer of illegally downloading content. Without divulging
names or addresses to Disney, Verizon will then alert the customer
that he or she might be violating the law. Disney will be able to
identify suspicious customers through an Internet coding system.

The provision was announced as part of a content deal that will
provide Verizon with Disney and ESPN programming and broadband
services. New York-based Verizon, one of several telephone carriers
launching video services to compete against cable companies, also
secured 12 Disney channels, including ESPN, ABC News Now and the
Disney Channel for its new television service, Fios TV, which will
start rolling out today in Texas.

In a related development, News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch
told a Goldman Sachs investment conference yesterday that News Corp.
is "99% there" in completing a content deal with Verizon. He didn't
elaborate, but that deal would likely include such networks as FX and
Fox News.

Verizon's deal with Disney comes as content providers are looking at
more ways to deliver movies and music over the Internet while
protecting copyrighted material. Verizon in the past has successfully
battled the music industry in court over the issue, refusing to turn
over the names and addresses of customers. The Digital Millennium
Copyright Act compels Internet providers to divulge customer
information regarding pirating upon subpoena.

Verizon insists its deal with Disney doesn't compromise any of its
past court efforts. Company officials say they want to comply with
the law but also must protect subscribers' privacy.

"We understand that Disney has issues of copyright but for Verizon
the critical issue is privacy for our customers. We're as committed
to that as we ever were," said Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe.

Mr. Rabe said the company could shut off service to customers who
have been repeatedly warned that they are infringing on Disney
copyrights.

In a presentation to the Goldman Sachs conference yesterday, Disney's
CEO-elect Robert Iger described the antipiracy provisions of the deal
as "breakthrough" and said "the rest of the industry should pay heed
and hopefully follow."

Write to Dionne Searcey at dionne.searcey () wsj com and Merissa Marr at
merissa.marr () wsj com


URL for this article:
<http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112731531212247388,00.html>

Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>



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