[BC] Copyright and royalties

[PeterH5322@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/18/05 7:55:54 AM, xenscott at earthlink.net writes:


> >I got a Sony CD recorder device to do copying of old reel-to-reel
> >tapes...? It will not work with data CD-R blanks, I had to get the ones
> >marked "digital audio" (Imation's will work).
> 

Amateur recorders require "audiio" media, as a built-in "royalty" for the 
recording, based on the assumption that you are always duplicating copyrighted 
works, and the "royalty" is compensation to the copyright owner, from you, 
implicit in your purchase of the media itself, for making such a copy.

Professional recorders will accept either media, and the assumption is these 
recorders are making first generation recordings, and not necessarily 
duplicates of existing recordings (which would be a higher generation recording), 
although there is nothing present which prevents making such higher generation 
duplicates, even of copyrighted recordings.

One cannot use a professional recorder to convert "data" media into "audio" 
media, although the only apparent difference is the absense/presence of special 
data which indicates "audio" media.

Contrast this approach with video media and content, where the copyright 
owner makes making a duplicate "impossible" by applying to the original data 
stream (but not to the raw media itself) certain "content scrambling" and/or 
"Macrovision" encoding, both of which can be easily, but not legally, circumvented.

Currently, Sony, and perhaps others, have tried to extend this data stream 
encoding concept back to audio media.

This extension takes the form of a "hidden" file or files which are installed 
on your hard drive, and which allows Sony and others to activate certain 
software which has become widely known as "spyware", and with which dishonest 
third parties can make use of to inflict damage to your system and/or to "mine" 
your personal data, through certain well-known flaws in Windoze.

A previous attempt to encode the audio tracks, one which physically altered 
the sonics of the program, failed, as many found that the resulting program to 
be "unlistenable".

I believe there was also an earlier attempt to apply 
"watermarking"/"stegnography" to audio content. This did not change the sonics, but there were other 
issues.