Re: Summary: [Fsfe-uk] TV show about copyright, the Internet and DRM

[Jason Clifford]

On Sat, 6 May 2006, MJ Ray wrote:

> > Why continue to us the word "protection". By doing so you are granting the 
> > central plank of their case to those who want more restrictive copyright 
> > powers.
> 
> I don't see protectionism as a good thing and I doubt many do.

And that's why the word being used by the industry is *not* protectionism 
but rather protection which has an entirely different meaning in all 
senses but most especially in the mind of the hearing public and 
legislators.

> Surely no WIPO-fearing government can support protectionist laws?
> So, I'm quite happy to label these bad things as protection.

You're better educated on the issue that more than 99% of others. Remember 
that.

> > Surely the real description for DRM is "Restriction" Perhaps a better term 
> > would be Technical Restriction Measures. This more properly describes the 
> > fact that these measures seek to restrict the rights of consumers and 
> > others to the goods they have bought.
> 
> Rights, consumers, goods, bought... all controversies, depending
> what you're applying them to.  Debates I don't want to have now.
> 
> Personally, I see this as about control of our electronic devices.
> I'd prefer to call it what it is and name it "copy-control"
> but each time I do that, I seem to get shot down in flames (most
> recently during the APIG response discussions IIRC).

Copy control is a form of restriction. Importantly though it is only one 
of the restrictions DRM seeks to implement and is not the most 
objectionable in my view. The term limits the scope of the arguement 
ignoring some of the other issues such as the ability to use the 
legitimate copy of your bought at all in some cases - which is something 
most people would immediately agree is objectionable while making unlawful 
copies isn't something you can get general agreement is reasonable.

If we use the term restrictions we're covering lots of bases and we're 
making it clear that it's a negative to those affected.

I think it would be good to remember that words have emotive associations. 
Protection has strong position emotive associations while restrictions has 
strong negative ones. The choice of words we use helps to set the frame of 
reference both intellectually and emotively for the audience. Be certain 
that the industry knows and uses this.

Jason