Re: Digital Watermarks for copy protection in recent Billbo

["Alex F" <alexf@iss.net>]

> Sniffers aren't much effort, and if I sniff your tagged purchases and 
> put them out over the net anonymously, they are traced to you.

Actually I was thinking more along the lines of physically stealing, 
but if someone sniffed an electronic transfer of a record then the 
laws would become even more useless as far as enforcement goes.


> Probably, but the Billboard article discussed using CC numbers as an 
> ID in the online watermarked transactions.  Doesn't mean they were 
> correct, of course.

Considering that their sources are probably more reliable (even 
though less knowledgable), and considering the idiocy of such an 
idea, I would risk saying that they are right :)


> AFAIK, most "bootlegging" is of unreleased concerts or out-takes. 
> Digital watermarks would be of little use.

There are solutions to this that work.
1) The Greatful Dead approach - let everyone bootleg live shows.  Who 
cares?

2) The Frank Zappa Approach - take the bootlegged copies, use better 
equipment, and possibly your own soundboard recordings of the same 
show, and put them out yourself.  Since you are capable of putting 
out a better product sonically, then beat them at their own game 
("Beat the Boots")

Alex F
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Alex F    alexf@iss.net
Marketing Specialist
Internet Security Systems
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