p2pnet - rss feed: Thumb-print DRM
p2p news / p2pnet: Last June p2pnet reported Gary Brant’s VeriTouch biometrics was awaiting delivery of iVue, a Veri Scary system able to recognize someone’s fingerprint and which, once it had duly acknowledged the owner of the finger, would allow him or her to, “listen to music and watch DVD-quality videos, including wireless content delivery and connectivity to existing peripheral A/V equipment”.
Physical Digital Restrictions Management, in other words. Or Linux-based DRM that, “eliminates piracy and prevents illegal copies to be made of music, videos, and video games delivered wirelessly or on mini-DVD disk,” as VeriTouch described it at the time.
The unit is a, “portable Linux based media player, video game player, and personal file storage device featuring multi-user support, biometric authentication, and pervasive security,” posted LinuxDevices. “Though it has yet to launch, the device has already drawn heated criticism and even ridicule from anti-DRM (digital rights management) quarters. However, the device’s innovative and pervasive security features may also impress some digital rights advocates.”
iVue arrived but, where did it go? That does not, however, mean Brant has sunk without a trace. He’s apparently been working with the entertainment cartels all along and his latest product, says The Register, is MuViBOXX, a set top unit featuring Search and BitTorrent-style p2p file sharing.
And, “Brant says that one major Hollywood studio and one of the big four labels are backing the project,” says the story, going on, “MuViBOXX uses a watermark identification like Snocap to identify copyright material from uploaded movies of the kids you might want to share with Grandma. Rather than license or partner with Snocap, Veritouch has devised its own.”
Snocap is a principal component of another double-X ‘p2p’ product, the yet-to-be seen Mashboxx application.
At MuViBOXX’s heart, continues The Register, is a Linux router, “only with a 500GB hard drive, integrated Ethernet and 802.11b/g/a wireless, a DVD player, and HDTV outputs. It will also make VoIP calls. Linux proved to be the perfect platform for building a lock-down DRM system, said Brant.
“Veritouch has been working with the studios on ways to distribute ‘pre-release’ content such as movie rushes and previews for three years now. What’s less clear is who will bear the cost of the box. Brant said that the studios are keen to help, but he really needs a cableco to underwrite what looks like an expensive piece of kit.
” ‘I’m walking a high wire,’ confesses Brandt, when we pressed him about the consequences for fair use. But a problem looms for what we may call the ‘rights’ lobby, which has grown accustomed to arguing the dispute as one of personal freedoms rather than the compensation tiff that it really is.”
Also read:-
Veri Scary - Veri Scary ‘fingerprint’ player, June 6, 2004
LinuxDevices - VeriTouch iVue media player and gaming device, June 23, 2004
The Register - Hollywood bets on biometric DRM + P2P, December 7, 2005
December 7th, 2005 at 8:13 pm
I won’t be buying one then. Too bad for them I am a very aware and informed consumer. Thank you very much for nothing.
December 7th, 2005 at 9:27 pm
Not only will I not be buying one of them, I will most probably drop any and all use of anything that requires one to use one. While this may be expensive equipment today, rest assured it won’t stay that way if put into production. It is very feasible that the industry could and would put this sort of scheme into operation. Maybe at first on a very limited basis, but in the end you can see where this is exactly the wish of the cartels.
Luckily there isn’t much coming out of either Hollydud or from the cartels that is worth buying as far as today’s offerings go. I am already a near non-customer to those cartels and something like this will seal the deal. It is unforetunate that the indies are also taking the brunt of this lack of being a customer. At present there is no way to be sure that you aren’t buying a product that the labels have decided to disguise as indie. There are many labels out there now proclaiming to be indie and trace right back to the cartels. They will do anything to get that dollar including the misrepresention of who they are.
Thank you but no thank you. I pass on this Orwellian 1984 scheme. My privacy is far more important to me than viewing a few movies or hearing a few songs.
December 8th, 2005 at 12:42 am
Thumb print huh? You know i seem to remember an article of fooling finger print readers very easily.
Ahhh here’s a link, scroll down to “Fun with Fingerprint Readers”.
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0205.html
Yet again it’s snake oil, all talk and no action.
December 8th, 2005 at 2:09 am
A very nice read, tony. Thank you for the link.
December 8th, 2005 at 4:14 am
All this DRM stuff is a complete waste of time, I mean it always sounds like the solution to copyright protection, but it like all the others it is flawed.
Any player or software protection has to send the media to speakers/headphones or a screen. I mean you have to be able to see and hear the stuff right?
You just need one person to buy this “Thumb-print DRM” or whatever new hype system they come up with next. Play thier legal media into a PC as if it was the speaker/headphone (plug it into your sound card). Record, save as mp3, upload the now completly unprotected media to your fav p2p program.
Unless they can protect all the way, including the speakers/headphones there is no point. Even then whats to stop the ebil pirates using a mic.