

How “Dirty” MP3 Files Are A Back Door Into Cloud DRM - thomasreggi
http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/06/how-dirty-mp3-files-are-a-back-door-into-cloud-drm/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

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seanmcq
Wait, I thought the point of anti-DRM was to do whatever we want with the
music. We can now do that. As far as I can tell this article calls anything
that inconveniences rampant theft DRM.

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viraptor
Almost true. I can do anything with it apart from sending it over a not
protected network (for example streaming from a shared drive on an open wifi).
If anyone captures such file with a sniffer in such situation and publishes
over p2p, it's my details that stay in the file.

On the other hand if anyone really cares about such contrived scenarios, they
can just recode the file and tag it again - most simple watermarks should be
removed that way. And since it's already an mp3, you're not losing that much
quality on such operation.

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jjs
_On the other hand if anyone really cares about such contrived scenarios, they
can just recode the file and tag it again - most simple watermarks should be
removed that way._

Unless your name is Aphex Twin.

(<http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2002/05/52426>)

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dotBen
"Apple, Google and Amazon are all reportedly in discussions with big labels to
provide a cloud music service. ... The labels, say our source, are demanding
that a user can only stream music that is watermarked to their username.
Change the username, or try to stream music that you’ve ripped from a CD, and
those songs won’t play."

It's a stupid idea to propose that you wouldn't be able to access music you
put into the cloud that didn't have your personal watermark in it.

Let's assume Johnny has an all-legal music collection dating back 10 years -
consisting of iTunes (watermarked) MP3s, Amazon (non watermarked) MP3s and a
ton of self-ripped MP3s from his old CD collection (non watermarked).

There is no way Apple, Amazon or anyone else would find success and adoption
in a system that would only let him play the watermarked files purchased from
iTunes but deny him playing the rest of his legal collection.

Anyone building such a system, regardless of the music industries demands,
needs to find a new product manager.

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thomasreggi
This is really the only way to crack down on copyright issues, watermark each
file with some information pining it to the buyer. When you combined this with
the cloud, only or someone with your username can access the media (I'd bet
they'd rather some biometrics). Interesting stuff.

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steve19
Seems like a good compromise to me.

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wendroid
Shows how much you know.

I unknowingly buy tainted MP3s from a retailer. Under the doctrine of first
sale I can re-sell these MP3s. So now I legally sell a full mp3 player or
maybe lose it and someone hands it into the police but I never claim it. The
new owner now has a means to do me harm.

