Comment Number 539814-00655

Comment Number:	539814-00655
Received:	1/26/2009 11:39:27 AM
Organization:	Manybooks.net
Commenter:	Matthew McClintock
State:	CA
Agency:	Federal Trade Commission
Rule:	FTC Town Hall to Address Digital Rights Management Technologies - Event Takes Place Wednesday, March 25, 2009, in Seattle
Attachments:

Comments:

I have found that DRM frequently interferes with my lawful use of materials purchased for personal use. There are already laws against mis-use of copyrighted materials, and I find that the technological solutions presented for reducing (questionably real) "piracy" have only had the effect of reducing my desire to purchase DRM-laden books, music, and movies. When I purchase a music file I would expect to be able to use it on any computer I own, and on any device I'm currently using to listen to music. Having to re-authorize computers and track the various file-formats is ridiculous. The argument that DRM technology is required to keep me from pirating music is crazy -- we already have laws that make distribution of copyrighted materials illegal, and technological hurdles that make copying more difficult only make ownership more difficult, and unlikely. As a consumer I've purchased DRM protected files only as a last resort. I find it intrusive, unnecessary, and when it comes time to move to a new computer, completely impossible to retain access to the files that I've purchased.