# Sony's DRM. They helped create the problem.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [December 25, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176 "2005-12-25T17:22:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176/1 "2005-12-25T17:22:00Z")
Fucking cocksuckers. We all know about the DRM bullshit happening. But there was something bugging me on slightly deeper level. Something that just felt like Sony was punishing us for their error. Then I was reminded of it in a linked article from Fark.
[Number 29](http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,123950,pg,4,00.asp).
> [@](#):
>
> Few gadgets have had a bigger impact than the first stand-alone video cassette recorder. Shortly after the Betamax appeared, Sony was sued by the movie studios; in 1984 the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Sony’s favor, finding that beneficial uses of the new technology (time-shifting TV programs) outweighed potential harms (video piracy).
I only wish we could get the head of Sony to try to explain this one. Or just get his head. That may be better.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176/2 "2005-12-25T17:31:57Z")
> [@duffer](#):
>
> Fucking cocksuckers. We all know about the DRM bullshit happening. But there was something bugging me on slightly deeper level. Something that just felt like Sony was punishing us for their error. Then I was reminded of it in a linked article from Fark.
>
> [Number 29](http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,123950,pg,4,00.asp).
> I only wish we could get the head of Sony to try to explain this one. Or just get his head. That may be better.
I don’t think they were heavily into the “content” end of things at that time. They were mainly a hardware company. Their huge investment (since then) in content is what drives their current copy protection mania.
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### Author:  [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176/3 "2005-12-25T18:27:51Z")
Sony’s a bit schitzo. Their hardware division is totally intent on making cool stuff. Their content division is intent on locking down piracy and getting every last penny.
The media division’s been in control the last ten years or so. This is why the Walkman has been sucking.
These DRM issues might just kick hardware back in control again, which would be good for all of us.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176/4 "2005-12-25T23:13:08Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#):
>
> Sony’s a bit schitzo. Their hardware division is totally intent on making cool stuff. Their content division is intent on locking down piracy and getting every last penny.
>
> The media division’s been in control the last ten years or so. This is why the Walkman has been sucking.
>
> These DRM issues might just kick hardware back in control again, which would be good for all of us.
That, or the fact that the “content” division has been driving down the profits of the company of late. Still, I’ve got no intention of buying Sony products until the president of Sony felches a goat as a way of publicly apologizing for the latest DRM crap they’ve pulled.
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### Author:  [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176/5 "2005-12-26T03:19:24Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#):
>
> Sony’s a bit schitzo.
This is spot-on. We do various ad work for different branches of Sony, and they may as well be completely separate companies. It’s not even that there’s zero communication between them; there’s open hostility. In many cases they’re more likely to cooperate with competing companies than with each other.
We had one case where we were pitching for an ad project for a video-on-demand service. One rival agency (not related to Sony) was representing Sony Internet Services in the competition, while Sony Media Services was making their own pitch on behalf of a completely separate agency. The two branches were actually competing directly against each other.
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### Author:  [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176/6 "2005-12-26T23:48:17Z")
> [@duffer](#):
>
> Sony’s DRM. They helped create the problem.
Sony opened a big can of worms with this one. It may end the stupidity of copy protection for greed.
ZDnet had a rundown on the situation recently.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonys-drm-they-helped-create-the-problem/337176/7 "2005-12-27T04:41:35Z")
[The jerkwads in the industry want to go after Tivo.](http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8491&feedId=online-news_rss20)
> [@](#):
>
> Manufacturers of video equipment will need to make their devices obey copy controls built into analogue movies and TV shows under a proposed US law.
>
> Proponents say the law is needed to plug the “analogue hole” in a digital rights management scheme designed for digital TV. But opponents say it is another rights grab by the movie industry.
>
> Congressman James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, introduced a bill called the “Digital Transition Content Security Act of 2005”. Unusually, it is meant to plug a hole in legislation which itself has not been passed yet, but which will probably be considered by Congress early in the new year.