Apple Patents Anti-Piracy Technology

[mjc0961]

Oh goodie! So now there will be less low quality shaky cam with blurry, unfocused video versions of new movies on the internet! This will make it easier for pirates to find copies recorded by someone who had the sense to bring a decent camera with them instead of an iPhone. Awesome!

Also, queue Apple fans lining up to take the piss so hard they'll look like R. Kelly groupies.

ZING!

 

[EternalFacepalm]

Because it won't be hacked after ten funny minutes. Not at all.
Seriously, people recording movies to upload them would easily do this anyway, so what the hell?

 

[thublihnk]

This is a terrible idea for everyone, and it makes me really glad I chose to get an Android device. No one does any real bootlegging of concerts or movies on phones (good luck getting an iPhone to last through 90 mins plus of video recording) and the snippets they do get are always terrible quality that no one will want to watch save themselves and maybe a couple friends who, maybe impressed by the quality of the stage show, will go next time the band comes to town. No one's going to see an iPhone recording and say "Well, that was cool, but I clearly don't need to go see that for myself."

And to the folks who are bemoaning people getting out their cameras during shows--either just try not to let it get to you, if it's a good enough show this should be possible, or you could just kindly ask them to put it away. If neither of those work, nudge them into the pit and watch them drop and ruin their nice technology. Capiche?

 

[Jumwa]

Why did someone even think to make this? It's just creepy and unnecessary.

 

[beema]

time to go back to these:

I'm totally down for less d-bags holding up phones at shows, but this wont stop traditional cameras (unless they implement a similar thing).

 

[sdafdfhrye3245]

Umm why the fuck would someone want to listen to a recording from an iPhone of a concert when they could more easily get a better quality mp3 almost anywhere else online?

 

[AngelicSven]

Wow! What amazing and revolutionary technology! I hope for Apple's sake no consumer realises that all they would have to do to bypass such a restriction is to not use an iPhone.

Aaaand this gets hacked. Yesterday.

These made me laugh.

 

[Snotnarok]

Another day, another attempt for Apple to limit how you use the devices you purchase from them. Seriously this is bullshit in every way you look at it.

 

[deathtopenguins]

*sigh* Apple...

I have issues with this, so indulge me for a sec.

1) Apple is essentially saying that certain things cannot be filmed/recorded, based on their 'own' definition of what is ok/bad. So your memories of an event are fine but augmenting those memories with a camera is wrong (a little extreme to put it that way but interesting nonetheless). So they'll make certain things impossible to film/record? I realise that recording a concert for other people to watch may be a bit iffy legally, but really, who would watch an iphone video and say, "Welp, now I don't have to see THAT band in concert anymore". Ultimately the free marketing of a filmed concert (probably?) far outweighs the potential lost revenue.

2) 'Patenting' the idea of determining electronically whether what is being filmed is illegal, or not, is a fairly dickish move. Since all patenting does is allow for the suing of people who try to do the same thing. In a roundabout way, Apple is trying to patent copyright infringement so that they can sue for infringement on it

3) Generally I'm against closed source devices/programs which limit your ability to use your own device, or software which filters your available information invisibly e.g. PS3 (and weirdly search engines+social media http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html). My prediction is that we will get another Geohot'esque moment where someone hacks the phone to eliminate this restriction.

Overall, I would like to say that I'm not against artists being paid for their work, pro-piracy, or against (possibly) companies patenting technological developments. It's just that Apple (and many other successful companies) really get on my nerves whenever they announce a new development in the fight against piracy, rather than changing their outdated business models to fit a changing world. c.f. Techdirt.com for more (biased?) info on current copyright law.

massive post, sorry, but have been building up to it over the past year with all that's been going on.

 

[deathtopenguins]

*double post* sorry

 

[teebeeohh]

Now, on the other hand, this tech could be used for good and not for evil, by allowing museums or other landmarks to blast infrared data to the iPhone so that you could get a description of the landscape or historical document you are seeing. Kind of like a digital tour guide without the dirty headset.

except this will never happen because museums make a lot of money with those dirty headsets.
as someone who rather frequently visits museums i get thoroughly annoyed when i have to pay to see an exhibit that was paid for with my taxes. Yes i know checking whether you live in the city and having you pay less would be a dick move and would hate every city i visit as a tourist but still.

 

[SuperNova221]

Taking films of live events counts on an iPhone counts as piracy? That's just reta- ... wait. No. this will stop many of those idiots on youtube posting horrible quality recordings where you can only hear screams and wind with a blurry picture resembling a stage in the background shaking around a lot. Thanks for helping us get better quality recordings of live events apple.

edit: Reading thread, was beaten to it. But point tsill stands, this won't stop piracy, and it won't stop recordings, it'll easily be hacked and it will put customers off buying it. When will companies learn that the absolute worst way they could try to stop piracy is by trying to stop it

 

[Nurb]

"shut itself off"

Not only keep the camera from functioning but SHUTTING THE DEVICE OFF... And some of the kiddies here were giving me shit when I said people are too willing to let these greedy companies have more control over property they paid full price for

Jobs is the new 90's Gates.

Taking films of live events counts on an iPhone counts as piracy? That's just reta- ... wait. No. this will stop many of those idiots on youtube posting horrible quality recordings where you can only hear screams and wind with a blurry picture resembling a stage in the background shaking around a lot. Thanks for helping us get better quality recordings of live events apple.

The funny part is that people who post clips and bootleg concerts don't use iPhones or cell phones to record them in the first place. They're only pissing off their paying customers.

Wait, they're punishing the paying customers without affecting what the unethical people do? Sounds like Apple took up Game Industry DRM policy!

 

[Nurb]

double post

 

[Hatchet90]

I don't really see a problem with this. It's not like YouTube isn't already going to take down the pirated video. Not to mention the videos received while recording are crap anyway so... there's less amount of low res video on youtube thanks to Apple? Sounds like a plan .

 

[YawningAngel]

So apple patented a means to restrict their own device, meaning that Android phones CANNOT have this limitation. That's not the best iPhone sales pitch I've ever heard.

 

[Alpha Maeko]

iPhone recordings are horrible phail to begin with. Anyone who really wants to record a live event properly will be using an actual camcorder, or whatever they're allowed to take into the event.

 

[triggrhappy94]

That's hella funny, because everyone whose tried doing that knows its hella hard and the picture and sound quality is crap. So its berely even worth it to try.

OT: How is that considered piracy?
OOT: Wouldn't that only work on Apple products?
OOOT: Why do bands care? When I'm looking for music on youtube I always just skip the songs that were recorded live by phones.

 

[Dana22]

Im pretty sure recording the concert is ok, but publishing it or profiting from the recording is not.

 

[DustyDrB]

I don't like this patent personally. I like to film the concerts I go to for my own uses and so I can go back and watch it again some other time. That's not illegal, or at least I don't think it is. I would be pissed if they prohibited us from doing that just because some people might try to pirate it.

A lot of bands support fan recordings. Wilco (who happens to be my favorite band) allows all their live shows to be posted online, and link to the database of them on their site. I still have a nearly three hour show from when they played in my hometown on my iPod. It's good quality sound, too.

I don't think they'll be too strict about this with concerts, but movie theaters really could and should benefit from this kind of technology.