How Important Is Protecting Streaming Media?

spaj writes "In the ongoing battle with the MPAA and RIAA, there seems to be an ongoing argument about who is to blame. If you leave a $20 bill on the sidewalk, can you report it stolen when someone takes it? Of course you can, but will you be taken seriously by the authorities? When my car was broken into, I was told by the responding police officer that I might have prevented it by keeping my seats and visible areas clear of junk that would entice criminals. So, who is at fault when it comes to users abusing their right to capture streaming media for personal use? According to Applian.com's Legal FAQ, the RIAA will not come after you if you make a recording for your own personal use. I have often been torn on this issue, and I am looking for input. Adobe recently released a new format of their widely used streaming protocol, RTMP, that includes 128-bit encryption (RTMPE). I can only interpret this as an attempt to prevent capturing of the streaming media content for personal use. However, Applian has already circumvented the RTMPE protection, and you can read about it on Adobe's forums, where some users seem quite dissatisfied that their content is not protected enough by Adobe's technology. I think the main question boils down to: Who is to blame? Can you blame Adobe for not making a better encryption? Or do you blame Applian for bypassing such security features? Or do you blame the authors of stolen content for leaving the security of their material in somebody else's hands?"

Re:Nobody is to blame

[Anonymous Coward]

I like how you equate growing up to becoming a selfish, cynical bastard. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:Nobody is to blame

[Anonymous Coward]

That's all well and good, but you've still not returned that $20 bill I dropped in '98.

coming soon!

[thermian]

New Microsoft One Time Pad(tm) for WMA!

Re:Nobody is to blame

[Naturalis Philosopho]

As we grew up, we watched our heroes (eg; the people we looked up to) throw away their ideals in the name of pragmatism. We watched wars, and death, and crime, and no one seemed to be punished for doing "bad" things.

And when you grow up a little bit more, you'll realize that just because someone doesn't "seem" to be punished for doing bad things that it doesn't mean they aren't. When people realize that their soul/spirit/conscience/karma suffers from doing "bad" things, and take steps to stop doing those bad things, well, then we finish growing up. Keep going.

And if you still need heroes, look to the people who found a way not to do bad things as they aged, and make them your heroes.