HTML5 To be Broken to Protect Copyright?

by Stephan Kinsella on February 26, 2012

Proposed web standard would allow copy protection on HTML5 video, but is it ‘unethical?’

http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/23/2818918/html5-streaming-copy-protection-w3c-standard-proposal

“Unethical” HTML video copy protection proposal draws criticism from W3C reps

– A proposal by developers from Google, Microsoft, and Netflix would add copy-protecion from streaming and downloadable video as part fo the HTML 5 standard
– The structure would rely on a “content decryption module” or CDM that could operate independently of the browser, possibly through hardware or firmware. With the CDM in place, a company could then send a key to decrypt a given portion of HTML.
– Google’s Ian Hickson, for example, called the proposal “unethical,” and said that in any case, it did not provide enough content protection to make it worth implementing.
– Mozilla’s Chris Pearce, meanwhile, asked how the proposal would affect open source browsers, which could theoretically be patched to allow people to capture streaming video or audio.
– Netflix’s Mark Watson said that while hardware solutions could solve some of these problems, such browsers would need