Amazing, great news: The UK Parliamentary All Party Internet Group (APIG) has published a report into Digital Rights Management. The report, which obviously took into account a lot of input from think tanks and civil society groups, sports a great list of recommendations. The recommendations are summarized in some detail here, or by Cory Doctorow in a short-short version as follows:
- Mandatory DRM labeling, explaining what you lose when you buy DRM technology
- Further, labeling should include information on how you’d be hurt if the DRM vendor goes out of business or if you buy new technology
- A promise of criminal prosecution the next time a Sony Rootkit DRM-style scandal crops up
- A call for investigation into the ways that DRM is used for illegal price-discrimination within the EU (e.g., charging different amounts for the same iTunes song depending on which European country you live in)
- A ban on future DRM mandates
- Action to ensure that DRM doesn’t interfere with use by visually disabled people
- A promise that future DRM rules include activists and public interest groups, not just entertainment companies and DRM arms-merchants
- A rule allowing academics and security researchers to crack DRM and publish the details of their work
- Investigation into depositing non-DRM media with the nation’s libraries
This came pretty much unexpected to me. And I have to say, it’s pretty encouraging to see that some governments haven’t lost their minds and are actually doing something about the DRM craze… Excellent stuff!
