[odf-discuss] Groklaw on British Library vs DRM

[Alex Hudson]

Pamela Jones wrote:
> What you need to understand is that the Library isn't a person. It has
> factions.  There is a shift in point of view, but the librarians see
> the issue.  I know that because when I wrote my article some months
> ago on their DRM, they contacted me to see if I'd let them write a
> rebuttal, and I said sure.
>
> They never wrote it. Instead, they began to lobby for change.  The
> last I heard, the choice of MS software was made at the top, because
> of its DRM functionality.  Now that they are talking about fair use
> and fair dealing, ask yourself: can Microsoft software provide it?

I'm not sure they're lobbying for change: technically, the DRM
restrictions and laws don't take precedence over fair dealing. In
Britain, fair dealing only applies in very limited situations anyway.

In practice what they appear to have been telling MPs over here is that
for DRM'd works to be compatible with other ideas (like library
privilege and fair dealing, also to some extent rights of access for
people with disabilities) you need some kind of parallel escrow system.
Surprise surprise, the British Library think that they would be the
ideal organisation to run such a repository.

Their IP paper is pretty similar to the presentation that they gave to
the All-party Parliamentary Internet Group meeting on DRM (which I
attended, at the British Library...). The basic gist was that they want
to continue what they've been doing for analogue works. But, certainly
as far as extensions go, they are against the current regime being
extended much further.

-- 
Alex Hudson
IT Director, Stratagia Ltd.
P: 0845 226 17 13     W: http://www.stratagia.co.uk/
F: 0845 226 17 14     E: alex (at) stratagia.co.uk


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