Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney From Piracy

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

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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