A well-directed post -- you are right on target.
Halderman's contorted and contortionist line of argument appears to be equivalent to saying that any form of copy protection is invasive of CD purchasers' rights, even if there are significant moments when he steps back from his diatribe into a "just don't know" attitude. They stand as momentary acknowledgements that he is overstepping the mark. The fact remains that, in practical terms, his attitude is tantamount to a no-holds-barred justification of piracy.
Considering that MediaMax technologies have won the official seal of approval of Microsoft and also that of the international testing agency in Belgium, as you and Stingray rightly point out, logic would now compel Halderman to launch attacks against Apple and, most specifically, Microsoft.
But there is a tacit faultline, separating off Macrovision. Halderman's track record is enough to convince us that Macrovision is far off his critical screen, and will never come within his purview.
If the criterion to be applied is that should be no "restrictions on what you do with the files", as you put it, any form of copyright protection would, in principle, be excluded.
What we do know is that Sony have clearly stated that they have every intention of continuing to protect CDs with MediaMax technology, while breaking off their use of XCP technology.
alj14
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