Here Are The Real Facts Surrounding The "Shift Key" According To SunnComm
Tech News [10-20-2003] more news
It's important to note that SunnComm made a conscience decision to have its license management technology reside on the user's computer (with their permission) rather than just on the CD itself. Doing it this way increases playability of the CD to near 100%. The shift-key work-around was a consequence of building universal playability into the CD and thus, was a byproduct of a conscience decision made by staff. This was NOT something Mr. Halderman discovered. He represented his disclosures as newly discovered, but, in fact, every SunnComm customer and most analysts covering Macrovision/SunnComm knew of this work-around weeks or months prior.
MusicDish Network AdvertisementHere are the real facts surrounding the "shift key."
1. A consumer must hold down the shift key for about 30 seconds at same time the CD is loading in his PC tray in order to bypass the computer's autorun feature. However, if a customer has previously enjoyed the bonus features of one of the 1000's of MediaMax CDs anticipated to be in the marketplace, THEN THE SHIFT KEY WORK-AROUND IS RENDERED USELESS because the License Management technology is already on the person's PC. This very important fact was missing from Mr. Halderman's report and almost every news story on the subject. It's important because as MediaMax grows in usage, the shift key becomes less and less of an issue.
2. By bypassing the autorun feature, the consumer also bypasses all of the "second session" value that is added to the CD such artist promotions, discount artist tickets, lyrics, photos, bonus tracks, etc. In other words, even if the consumer knows about this workaround, there's a better chance than not that he (or she) will choose NOT to try it in order to not miss out on the album's bonus features.
3. The main purpose of MediaMax is to provide a structure for users empowering them to make and share copies of the music in a licensed and legal way. This is in sharp contrast to ripping and unprotected (and possibly unauthorized/illegal) duplication. MediaMax provides this important "first-step" structure without getting in the way of the user's listening experience.
4. It was always a given that some people will choose to circumvent MediaMax (Ver 1). The record companies accept this and believe (as we do) that MediaMax can be an effective tool in slowing down unlimited "casual" copying...the kind of copying which occurs when one person, who buys a CD, makes copies for friends, who then make copies for friends and so on. We think the early numbers on SunnComm's recent release will bear this out.
5. Why would a great many people even attempt to bypass MediaMax and why? With MediaMax, users can make and share copies. Now, if MediaMax prevented them from doing any of that, it would be different. Fact is, average users can now make copies easier than through the use of ripper programs...it's just that their copies are limited.
6. Penn Gillette (of Penn & Teller fame) said (and he wasn't the first, I'm sure) that "if you don't buy the premise, you won't buy the bit." Mr. Halderman of Princeton Shift-Key fame discovered nothing new in his report. The fact that he created a media circus surrounding these issues is no accident. He is a vocal and recognized opponent of the use of technology to reduce unprotected copying, and masqueraded to the press as just a simple, "scholar" trying to find the best solutions for copy protection for the industry. He did this because he had to sell his "bit" to the press.
There will be much more on this subject coming up, but I must end this now in order to get to work.
In recapping:
Nothing was new in Mr. Halderman's report.
The shift-key workaround was included in the technology as a conscience trade-off for playability.
All of SunnComm's customers, prospects and most analysts already knew about the work-around, so the report served no purpose other than as attempt to embarrass the music industry into backing down on the use of copy control technology altogether. Mr. Halderman, himself, said this.
I believe Mr. Halderman had an undisclosed agenda in writing this report that he did not disclose to the onslaught of reporters he charmed to his doorstep, and thus has proven himself to be intellectually dishonest. The press fell for his "I'm just a simple researcher trying to do God's work" bit, and he bought his "15 minutes of fame" with very little "research" on his part.
Mr. Halderman made it appear that all one needs to do is "tap the shift key" to circumvent MediaMax. He made it "news" for the press and most of them "bought it."
All in all, it was a stellar performance for Mr. Halderman, and although I give him "two thumbs, way up" for his performance, we at SunnComm, believe it won't slow us down a bit.
AI
