Makhno718

UK

student

Hmmmmmm, indeed; I think we've heard this all before: "uncrackable" anti-piracy encoders; "uncrackable" new algorithm that will make it "impossible" to patch our once thought incredibly difficult to pirate operating system;
warpconduitsupercalifragilisticplasmaelectrificution keyboards(that would fry your balls once you tried to open the offending MP3 by pressing "enter"); and last but not least, pieces of silicon(Microsoft have already tried to tell us what we can and can't do with our software) that essentially tell you what you can and can't do with your computer.(because this would be the thin end of the wedge. If it worked for MP3's, why not for everything else(remember Intel's attempt to introduce "palladium"? Back door surveillance in short)) The issue of course is never as simple as those from the anti-piracy lobby wish us to believe. I myself do not pirate a damn thing, but efforts like these will help me decide otherwise. It's more about the price, not necessarily about how easily it can be pirated. There is always a way around the latter issue, but more to the point, un-restricted MP3's have brought to a huge audience music they wouldn't otherwise listen to. A case in point is a friend of mine who acquired nearly an entire album of pirated tracks from a particular artist, but he still went out to buy the album. Not only did he wish to own the original CD, but he also looked through the back catalogue of the artist in question(and to my knowledge, bought at least one other album). In this particular case, this friend of mine didn't mind paying what I would call a very extortionate price, but at least he found out that the original pirated album didn't consist of 2 decent tracks and a load of filler.(the digital downloaded "pay per listen" concept may very well do away with the album as we know it, but I'm not sure this concept will be as hegemonic as is currently touted)

There are benefits to piracy, one of them being that the pirate indirectly helps the consumer, that is, he creates a completely substitutional alternative. In the future, the media corporation will not be as free and easy in relation to pricing, marketing and everything else that goes with a 30 pence piece of plastic being marked up at 15 quid. Granted, CD sales have not been hit(Indeed, overall CD sales have increased, which of course would offer a defence against those who believe MP3 pirates take the bread from the music corporations mouths),but that doesn't mean Media corporations will be not sensitive to pricing pressures brought on by the digital age.

Believe me, making an "uncrackable chip" will not solve a damn thing; there will be a load of ways(remember the so called Athlon CPU'S locked multipler??? And also, I'm pretty sure a software antidote will be worked on as soon as the specs are released)to circumvent it(or disable the software security coding in the MP3 and chip). In any event, I will not be buying on a "pay per listen" basis, simply because this can applied to anything u could care to mention. Indeed, why not have "uncrackable" termination counters built into our computers, TVs and every single product you can name, then we will have to buy a new product/appliance/software, when our 2 years are up.(which of course, will be reduced to 1 year when they find out it has been cracked, or more to the point, they can't screw enough out of us). I rest my case.