As Microsoft readies the next version of its Windows operating system, called Vista, the software giant is building in unprecedented levels of safeguards against video piracy.

很少真正在乎版权的中国人也许不会在意这个在西方人看来是很疯狂的消息－－Sony BMG和英国的ISP PlayLouder达成的协议。 英国的PlayLouder 自封为世界上第一家也是唯一一家MSP，也就是Music Service Provider。协议达成后，在PlayLouder的用户在PlayLouder的网络内，被授权可以任意的分享Sony BMG的所有音乐作品，以任何的格式，任何的方式分享，包括现在被搞音乐和电影的大老板们最痛恨的P2P。

The lesson is to find a good-enough approach to content protection that is easy, convenient and non-annoying to most people, and then accept that there will be some leakage. Most consumers see the value in paying for something of guaranteed quality and legality, as long as you don't treat them like potential criminals. And the minority of others, who are willing to take the risks and go to the trouble of finding the pirated versions? Well, they probably weren't your best market anyway.

Unless all of the above are true, then the amount of DRM on a song is irrelevant to how hard or easy it is to get a copy without DRM on it. There are ways to reduce downloading -- for example, offering attractive services to high-downloader populations (like college kids). But DRM can't reduce the amount of downloading that people who want to download will undertake. Link (via Waxy)

Now software could enjoy the extraordinary protection of a patent, protection so powerful that Thomas Jefferson believed that it should be granted in only a few select cases.