-- more on -- Auntie's Digital Revolution by the author

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 04:29:30 -0700
> From: "Danny O'Brien" <danny () spesh com>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Auntie's Digital Revolution
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 28, 2003 at 07:10:29AM -0400, Dave Farber wrote:
> >
> > >X-Sender: nbr () popin newcastle ac uk
> > >Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 10:54:18 +0100
> > >To: farber () cis upenn edu
> > >From: Brian Randell <Brian.Randell () newcastle ac uk>
> > >
> > >
> > >Hi Dave:
> > >
> > >For IP
> > >
> > >I recommend the article "Auntie's Digital Revolution" in the computer
> > >section of today's edition of the Guardian newspaper. ("Auntie" is a
> > >well-known affectionate name for the BBC, at least here in the UK.)
> > >
> > >The article describes in more detail than I, at any rate, have seen 
> before
> > >the BBC's recently unveiled plans to make lots of its back catalogue of
> > >programmes freely available online, and documents the role played by
> > >Lawrence Lessig and Brewster Kahle in this decision.
> > >
> > >The subtitle to the piece is however strange, in that it talks about
> > >making the archives "free for licence players", though it is not at all
> > >obvious from the actual text that there is any plan to restrict access to
> > >licence payers, leave alone how this might be achieved. (Here in the UK,
> > >you need to purchase an annual licence fee in order to operate a
> > >television set - these fess provide the BBC's main source of income.)
> > >
> > >The article can be found at:
> > >
> > >  http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1030176,00.html
> > >
>
> I wrote that piece, and I should emphasise that (despite the subtitle)
> it's only a description of one tack that the BBC *could* take in
> presenting the Archive. As far as I know, no definite decision has been
> taken; the Archive itself is in its very earliest stages.  But the very
> fact that this option of approaching it in a minimal DRM, free to
> redistribute manner is being discussed internally at all is heartening.
>
> 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.
>
> I've continued the article at my blog, here:
> http://www.oblomovka.com/entries/2003/08/28#1062061680
>
> and there is further discussion here (including a comment by Brewster
> Kahle)
> http://www.quicktopic.com/23/H/fqUqqvK8nFM
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
> d.
>
>
>
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>
> > >Cheers
> > >
> > >Brian
> > >--
> > >School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne,
> > >NE1 7RU, UK
> > >EMAIL = Brian.Randell () ncl ac uk   PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
> > >FAX = +44 191 222 8232  URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/
> >
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