Favorite Sure, buying your favorite video game, movie, or album online is super convenient. I personally love being able to pre-order a game and play it the night of release, without needing to go to a store. But something you may not have thought about before making your purchase are the differences between owning a…
All posts tagged DRM
EU to Apple: “Let Users Choose Their Software”; Apple: “Nah”
Favorite This year, a far-reaching, complex new piece of legislation comes into effect in EU: the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which represents some of the most ambitious tech policy in European history. We don’t love everything in the DMA, but some of its provisions are great, because they center the rights of users of technology,…
Disability Rights Are Technology Rights
Favorite At EFF, our work always begins from the same place: technological self-determination. That’s the right to decide which technology you use, and how you use it. Technological self-determination is important for every technology user, and it’s especially important for users with disabilities. Assistive technologies are a crucial aspect of living a full and fulfilling…
Fragging: The Subscription Model Comes for Gamers
Favorite We’re taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are taking on different elements of copyright law and policy, addressing what’s at stake and what we need to do to make sure that copyright promotes creativity and…
Your Computer Should Say What You Tell It To Say
Favorite WEI? I’m a frayed knot Two pieces of string walk into a bar. The first piece of string asks for a drink. The bartender says, “Get lost. We don’t serve pieces of string.” The second string ties a knot in his middle and messes up his ends. Then he orders a drink. The bartender…
When DRM Comes For Your Wheelchair
Favorite Why EFF Supports Colorado’s Right to Repair Wheelchairs Law Wheelchairs Break Three million Americans rely on wheelchairs, which makes wheelchairs a key driver of the $50 billion Durable Medical Equipment industry. Many people depend on wheelchairs to help with the basic necessities of life: getting around the house, going to work, shopping, and spending…
EFF to Court: Fair Use is a Right Congress Cannot Cast Aside
Favorite Copyright law and free expression have always been in tension, with the courts protecting speech from overzealous copyright claims using legal doctrines such as fair use. But in 1998, Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and since then courts have interpreted its “anti-circumvention” provision to give rightsholders the unprecedented power to block even…
The Worst Timeline: A Printer Company Is Putting DRM in Paper Now
Favorite Update: This article briefly appeared with a typo that listed the manufacturing cost of printer ink at $250/oz; the correct figure is $250/gal. We regret the error and thank the eagle-eyed readers who spotted it and pointed it out on Twitter. Your service is appreciated and we salute you. Are you well organized? Do…
Robots Have No Place Filtering Creative Content, EFF Tells U.S. Copyright Office
Favorite Software robots should not be deciding whether your creative content, whether written words, videos, photos, or music, ought to be pulled off the internet. That’s what we told the U.S. Copyright office in comments we filed February 8 arguing against requiring service providers to embrace “standard technical measures” to address copyright infringement. While some…
Inequitable Access: An Anti-Competitive Scheme by Textbook Publishers
Favorite It goes by many names, but no matter how you cut it, the new “Inclusive Access” model for college course materials is a bad deal for students. Educators are moving increasingly towards digital textbooks, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has left publishers scrambling to keep access limited and revenues high with paywalls, DRM, and expiring access.…