COPYCENSE

If you’ve been following any of the news regarding the now draft version 3 of the GNU General Public License, then you also know by now that the Free Software Foundation and its leader Richard Stallman are looking to prevent the mashing up of GPL’d software with digital rights management (DRM) technology.

Even though it’s a scourge that lives at the intersection of technology and entertainment — one that could severely limit our freedom to listen to or watch the content we pay our hard earned money for using the device of our choice — most people are simply turning a blind eye every time DRM gets mentioned. It’s not a very sexy acronym. There’s no shock and awe. The DRM cartel likes it that way. They don’t want any groundswell of opposition to interfere with their plans to control your horizontal and the vertical. No, this is not Outer Limits science fiction. This is the real deal.

To wake people up, I’ve come up with a new acronym for DRM: CRAP.

Between the Lines. FSF’s Stallman Pitches New Definition for C.R.A.P. Feb. 14, 2006.

See also:

Groklaw. Reactions to the GPLv3 Draft and a GLPv2-v3 Comparative Chart. Jan. 17, 2006.

Updates:

Peter Galli. Questions Still Abound Over GPL 3. eWeek. Feb. 15, 2006.

CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.