Comment Number:	539814-00242
Received:	1/9/2009 4:33:39 AM
Organization:
Commenter:	George Dent
State:	NV
Agency:	Federal Trade Commission
Rule:	FTC Town Hall to Address Digital Rights Management Technologies - Event Takes Place Wednesday, March 25, 2009, in Seattle
Attachments:

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Comments:

The essential purpose of DRM is to prevent copyrighted material being pirated. However, no DRM technology has ever achieved this aim, and always hurts the innocent consumer more than the pirates. Take, for example, a DVD that will not play back on a computer. A pirate with a real intent to pirate it will easily find their way around the technology, while the person who bought the DVD is left with no course of action if they wish to watch it on their laptop or computer. It can also lead to a monopoly on the market. Take for this example Apple Inc's FairPlay DRM. Apple's iTunes Music Store is the biggest retailer of music in the US, and the only portable hardware their music will play on is an iPod. In conclusion, DRM only hurts the customers that legally purchase the materials. Those that illegally download music and movies are able to watch them without Draconian limits on when and where and how many times they can listen/watch them.