NBC And The Broadcast Flag
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I’m behind on my Slashdot reading again. I just now came across the article about NBC turing on the broadcast flag on certain programs. By doing this, then programs like Windows Media Player and other software (and hardware!) that honor this flag which means it is no longer possible to record certain shows. It’s another case of copyright being taken too far. in this case, the right of people to “time shift” programs is now undergoing some unwanted weight loss.
“time shifting” is the practice of recording a show now so that you can watch it later. By activating the broadcast flag for certain shows, NBC has made it impossible to time shift those programs.
Regardless of their reason for it, they need to be told that it’s not acceptable in any way at all. I suggest that everybody take a few moments on their contact page and let them know that the broadcast flag is unacceptable. Tell them (politely) that you disagree with their use of it and ask them to discontinue all use of the broadcast flag so that people can watch their programs in the time and media that is convenient for them.
Technorati Tags: time shifting, copyright, time shift, nbc, windows media player, copy protection, contact nbc, broadcast flag, drm, digital rights management
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