The Analog Hole Legislation

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The Analog Hole Legislation

A lot of pending anti-piracy legislation (like the Broadcast Flag) and current law focuses on preventing digital-to-digital copies, because it can be a lossless conversion (basically, you could copy something exactly and pass it on at full resolution). For a long time, Hollywood has ignored the "analog hole" because for the most part it relied on legacy devices (like converting VHS to say, quicktime) that would eventually be phased out.

Last month Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner introduced the Digital Transition Content Security Act, which is one of the first laws directed at plugging the analog conversion. It's basically the broadcast flag for analog content, requiring a bit of DRM into every video stream, along with a bunch of macrovision type controls.

Digital rights blog Furdlog has a summary of the LA Times Editorial detailing why the law is a bad idea. It's a problem for many of the same reasons the Broadcast Flag is -- it essentially requires that all new technology meet a rigorous list of technical requirements, downscaling video after conversion and setting automatic deletion flags among other things. If passed, it could make huge waves in the industry.

The EFF has more about the bill, but I'll keep my eyes on the progress (and hopefully the eventual defeat) of the measure.

by Matt Haughey January 2, 2006 in News

Comments

Every wonder who pays for Sensenbrenner and Conyers to be in Congress?

http://thomashawk.com/2005/12/jim-sensenbrenner-and-john-conyers.html

Posted by: Thomas Hawk at Jan 3, 2006 9:23:49 AM

So Sad, I mean punish those who copy and sell but the main stream population will use in their home only.

Posted by: Mike at Jan 3, 2006 4:32:47 PM

The Analog Hole Legislation

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