Re: [Drm-elimination-crew] Call to Action! Let's Draft an FAQ

[Thomas Gramstad]

Quoting from
http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Defective_by_Design/Frequently_Asked_Questions 
:

Is watermarking DRM?

No. DRM is restricting your rights of using. Watermarkink is 
protecting the right of the author...

(End quote)

Actually, watermarking is a kind of "social DRM". The purpose of
watermarking is to discourage sharing of cultural works or
knowledge products by incorporating identification data that can
be used to identify the first buyer of said work/product, so that
this buyer will be tracked and get into trouble if, for example, a
family member or friend (or friend of a friend etc.) who may have
borrowed or copied the work from the buyer (legal in many
jurisdictions) proceeds to share the work online (thus getting the
buyer into trouble). This discourages all sharing, including
sharing which is legal today, because the buyer will be "safer" by
not loaning, copying or otherwise giving anyone else access to the
work/product.

Therefore, watermarking is opposed to the spirit and practise of
sharing. And even though it is not a type of technical
restriction, lock, encryption or the like, it is still a mechanism
whose purpose is to oppose or sabotage sharing, only part of the
mechanism is social rather than mechanical.

Hence, "social DRM".

Therefore we need to be opposed to watermarking as well as
technological DRM, even though watermarking is less evil than
DRM. Being opposed to cancer doesn't mean that one supports
or accepts the flu.

Also, no author has ever been "protected" from anything by
having sharing of their works technically or socially curtailed,
so that formulation needs to go as well.

Thomas Gramstad
address@hidden


On Tue, 16 Jul 2013, Kẏra wrote:

> Dear DRM Elimination Crew,
>
> As we face the threat of Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) infecting
> the fabric of the Web itself, our campaign against DRM is more important
> than ever and we need your help. We are putting together a DRM
> Frequently Asked Questions list, and you can contribute by drafting
> questions and answers on this LibrePlanet wiki page:
> http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Defective_by_Design/Frequently_Asked_Questions.
>  Once that is finalized, we will compile your submissions and publish the FAQ 
> on the Defective by Design website.
>
> In the course of our campaign against Netflix, we've noticed some honest
> questions and misconceptions that keep coming up, and this list of
> frequently asked questions will serve as an invaluable resource to be
> able to swiftly respond to those concerns and the misinformation
> spreading from Netflix's press kit.
>
> Our #CancelNetflix campaign keeps gaining momentum! In our efforts to
> block Netflix, Google, Apple, and Microsoft from co-opting the W3C and
> injecting their DRM scheme into HTML5, many have already joined us in
> calling for a boycott of Netflix subscriptions and convinced their
> friends and family to do so as well, but we need ways to keep the
> pressure on. If you have any action ideas regarding Netflix or DRM on
> the web, we'd love to hear them! Get in touch by emailing us at
> address@hidden or visiting #dbd on Freenode.
>
> Thanks,
> Kyra