-- more on -- Auntie's Digital Revolutionby the author

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 15:04:27 -0700
> From: Brian Dessent <brian () dessent net>
> Subject: Re: [IP] -- more on -- Auntie's Digital Revolutionby the author
> To: dave () farber net
>
>
> Dave Farber wrote:
>
> > >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.
>
> This was a very timely email... A few of us have just started an online
> petition to urge the BBC to use a "free" video encoder (such as XviD
> which is open-source) that doesn't tie anyone to a particular type of
> software, and BitTorrent to help distribute the load between peers...
> Anyone interested can sign below:
>
> http://www.petitiononline.com/bt4bbc/petition.html
>
> I'm not sure if online petitions are really that effective these days,
> but it sure couldn't hurt to show the BBC that we are not interested in
> proprietary formats.
>
> Brian

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