Wow - the USA does seem to take DRM and TPM seriously!
It seems that President Obama gave UK PM Gordon Brown a gift of 25 classic American movies on DVD. The trouble is that they were region coded for North America only.
So Gordon Brown couldn't watch Psycho or any of the others.
Presumably, Prime Minister Brown isn't going to engage in any illegal circumvention. That might upset the MPAA and cause who knows what international ramifications. Not to mention litigation. On the other hand, the Brits not only invented the concept of the Crown but also that of Crown immunity...
Who knows where this will lead?
HT to Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing and a prominent Washington lawyer.
HK
Fortunately for Mr. Brown he probably has a multi-region player, as most in Britain do. Still, it's telling that Mr. Obama's gift department is unaware of the regional coding. Perhaps a little parochial?
ReplyDelete