Virtual Goods, Ilmenau, 27.-29.05.2004 • FZK-ITAS Knud Böhle Slide 1
Introduction
What to Expect from Technology Assessment Shaping DRM ?
Knud Böhle
Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS) Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft
Outline
I. Introduction
II. What is Technology Assessment and what‘s it good for ?
III. The „Informed Dialogue“ approach and project INDICARE
IV. Some hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
Virtual Goods, Ilmenau, 27.-29.05.2004 • FZK-ITAS Knud Böhle Slide 2
What is Technology Assessment and what‘s it good for ?
Definition of Technology Assessment
Technology Assessment embraces scientific analysis of
technology-related societal problems and the organization of
communication about them in order to contribute to their
solution (translation from Grunwald 2002, p.52)
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What is Technology Assessment and what‘s it good for ?
Functions of Technology Assessment
► support decision-making and legislation,
► support the allocation of funds for R&D,
► cope with technology-related conflicts, and
► contribute to a socially acceptable shaping of
technology.
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Typical features of TA projects
► separation of true potential from hype
► panoramic view
► “long-termism”
► future orientation
What is Technology Assessment and what‘s it good for ?
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DRM and DRMs are a case for TA
► there are many processes of regulation and legislation in the making at multiple levels (national, EU, globally),
► the question is open, if special funding for DRM research is required,
►DRM issues are rather conflictive (“copyright industries” vs. academia, libraries, grass-root, and between sectors of industry),
►concerns of consumers, citizens, and handicapped persons are hardly present in the actual discourse.
What is Technology Assessment and what‘s it good for ?
Virtual Goods, Ilmenau, 27.-29.05.2004 • FZK-ITAS Knud Böhle Slide 6
Definition of Informed Dialogue
An Informed Dialogue, as we understand it, is a combination of
analysis and communication. It is a form of organized
communication and debate stimulated and maintained by
reliable, good quality input, based e.g. on facts, investigation,
and profound analyses. Internet technology and services enable
this type of communication.
The „Informed Dialogue“ Approach
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Potential Benefits of the „Informed Dialogue“
► First, it is open, adaptive, flexible, and self-organizing
► Second, it can be a “learning system
► Third, it provides real benefits for participants
The „Informed Dialogue“ Approach
Virtual Goods, Ilmenau, 27.-29.05.2004 • FZK-ITAS Knud Böhle Slide 8
An „Informed Dialogue“ about DRM is requested by many…
►by Rainer Kuhlen, German UNESCO delegate at the World
Summit on the Information Society,
►by the organizers of the first broad German DRM project
sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Research of North-
Rhine Westphalia
►by a US think tank established by the Committee for
Economic Development, a US advisory board of 250 industry
leaders, and last not least…
►by the European Commission in its eContent Programme
The „Informed Dialogue“ Approach
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INDICARE: “The Informed Dialogue about Consumer Acceptability of DRM Solutions in Europe" funded by the European Commission
at: http://www.indicare.org
Main Objective: to establish an Informed Dialogue about DRM solutions in Europe acceptable for creators, small and medium enterprises, and in particular for consumers and citizens.
The „Informed Dialogue“ Approach
INDICARE Partners
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Website
Weblogs
Archives
Newsletter
Input Deliverables Electronic Discussion Forum Specifically Targeted Output Deliverables
Newsletter
State of the Art Reports
Five Workshops + reports
Consumer Surveys
Guide for Users of DRM
Consumers’ Guide to eContent
DRM Policy Papers
The „Informed Dialogue“ Approach
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Networking and Community Building
INDICARETeam
► Virtual partners,
► eContent projects,
► DRM projects
► Workshop participants
► journalists
► etc.
INDICARE Core Network
Visitors / users of INDICARE
Ele
ctro
nic
Dis
cuss
ion
Fo
rum
The „Informed Dialogue“ Approach
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TA studies about DRM
►The Digital DilemmaNational Academy of Science, Washington 2000
►Digital Rights ManagementTechnological, Economic, Legal and Political Aspectsby Eberhard Becker et al., Berlin Heidelberg 2003
►Promoting Innovation and Economic Growththe Special Problem of Digital Intellectual PropertyDigital Connections Council of the Committee for Economic Development, Washington 2004
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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Legal framework
„work“ as expression of ideas
Copyright, innovation and growth
Technological developments
Institutional setting
“Copy” as central act
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
Background: The digital revolution and intellectual property rights
Vision: “sustainable information society” ?
What’s different with digital objects or the Crisis of Copyright
Long-term structural change
Visions and the nitty-gritty
Nitty-gritty: real word problems of users and consumers
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1. Digital „works“ blow up the notion of a „work“ as an expression of ideas by a creator
► Derivative works created by reuse and modification► Transformative works by translation, graphical
presentation, visualization, filtering, morphing, text-voice transformation and vice versa…
► Increasing relevance of “semanto-technological” objects such as huge databases, computer simulations, or computer models;
► Continuation of the creative process at home;► Modification of works by interactive use and co-operative
changes;► Split of works into a multitude of separate digital objects
to be marketed separately.
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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2. The Foundations of Copyright have become insufficient to determine the rights of creators, rights holders, and consumers with respect to digital goods
► At least as important as copy control are access control, and control of use; this seems to require a unified approach balancing access rights, copy rights, and usage rights for all types of digital goods and services.
► In addition it is hold that the concept of “copy” is too vaguely with digital objects as copying takes always place at least in an ephemeral form to RAM, caches etc.
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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3. The traditional underpinning of the relation between DRM and innovation falls short…
► Knowledge produced privately and sold privately, never entering the public domain, is often overlooked.
► New forms of innovation like “user-led innovation”, “co-operative, incremental innovation”, and “derivative innovation” are not systematically reflected.
► The Internet as “nested innovation system” (hardware, software, services, content) is seldom taken as reference point to assess the relation between IPR and innovation.
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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4. The institutional setting required to establish a balanced DRM regime is unclear, just three questions…
► If DRM technology would be more and more widely deployed, would this gradually rule out collecting societies and make them finally obsolete?
► Libraries have been important for public access. Should there be a legal duty of content providers to deposit an instance of each digital work in a publicly–accessible library? What should be the rules governing the use of protected and licensed digital content in a publicly–accessible library?
► Archiving and preserving our cultural heritage and ensuring a record of intellectual discourse are critical tasks of society (NSF 2000, S. 206). The question is how to.
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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5. There are many concerns about the legal framework,
but two of them seem to be crucial
► How is it feasible to provide for effective technical protection measures on the one hand and to grant exceptions from copyright on the other hand? Is this an irresolvable contradiction? Would it help to take off the exemptions from copyright law, and to create „a new body of information law to safeguard the public domain“ (Dreier und Nolte in LNCS, S. 501)?
► How to avoid that private DRMs overrule legal provisions? (L. Lessig’s “code as code”). Is it technically feasible to design DRMs in a value-centered way „so that important policy and legal values are preserved” (Bechtold in LNCS, S. 599)?
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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6. Long-term development of DRM is a matter of technical
infrastructure too…
Standardisation and interoperability is crucial. Does an effective, global DRM-infrastructure require a huge
infrastructure of the PKI type?
How important are TC, secure hardware and operating systems for effective DRMs?
Is it likely that the extended wireless infrastructure will be more important for the delivery of protected content
than the Internet as we know it ?
Is it naïve to think of the empowerment of simple or private online-content creators by technical bottom-up DRM solutions? Where is the PGP-like DRMs?
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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7. Future technological developments
What’s the state of DRM technology?
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
When will a particular technology be available or widespread?
Source: BSI 2003, CT 2010+3, p. 314
Majority of experts believes within X years
Asymmetric watermarking techniques available 3
Robust and secure watermarking techniques available 5
Use of content requiring previous identification of user widespread:
5
Hardware-based DRM mechanisms widespread 7
DRM mechanisms incorporated in Operating Systems widespread
Not before 10
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7. Future technological developments /cont.
Are there disruptive technological innovations to expect?
Rights locker architectures?
Bandwidth ?
Storage Space ?
What else ???
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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8. A vision for the development of DRM and DRM Technologies
“sustainable information society” ?
Lisbon goals ?
Constitution ?
What else ???
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate
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9. The nitty-gritty every day problems
The hassle for consumers
B2B rights clearing, especially multimedia
Integration issues: legacy system, payment system
Courts don’t understand DRMs
What else ???
Hypotheses and questions on DRM for debate