Cory Doctorow to Microsoft: Say no to DRM!

This is a must-read for everyone interested in the future of digital media and distribution of content. Most people may not be aware but the way copyright laws are heading and all the various Digital Rights Management systems that are placed on the devices and digital content that we consume may do more harm than good. Sci-fi writer and EFF activist Cory Doctorow has given an excellent and insightful speech to Microsoft's Research Group on why DRM is not the way to go.

Here's the social reason that DRM fails: keeping an honest user honest is like keeping a tall user tall. DRM vendors tell us that their technology is meant to be proof against average users, not organized criminal gangs like the Ukranian pirates who stamp out millions of high-quality counterfeits. It's not meant to be proof against sophisticated college kids. It's not meant to be proof against anyone who knows how to edit her registry, or hold down the shift key at the right moment, or use a search engine. At the end of the day, the user DRM is meant to defend against is the most unsophisticated and least capable among us.

The text is available in the public domain and has a Creative Commons license. In addition to the html version, there's also a Wiki version (with plenty of annotations) for those who wants to find out more.