"Copy-proof" CDs cracked with 99-cent marker pen

Reuters via digitalMASS.com ^ | 5/20/02 | Bernhard Warner

[ContentiousObjector]

Free Republic has to remove this artical because it violates the circumvention clause of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, sharing instructions for defeating copy protection is illegal and can bring fines and imprisonment, and if the entertainment industry has their way at some point in the future possibly the death penalty

If you think the War On Drugs is nausiating, just wait for the war on piracy,

[stands2reason]

Amen! Everyone knows they're getting ripped off on CD's today...some of us actually remember when they first came out they promised that the price would soon drop. I'd have no problem buying if they weren't so damn greedy, especially knowing the musicians get only a tiny royalty per disc.

[dheretic]

I'm laughing as I rip another CD........

[ContentiousObjector]

I would have expected ritual suicide

[VRWCmember]

Actually, if they studies Econ 101 they do far better..Drop the price of a CD to $6 bucks or so, they'd sell 5 x as many, make more money,and no one would bother to copy

Actually, that depends on the price elasticity of demand for music CD's. If the demand for CD's is highly price elastic, then a decrease in price would result in an increase in revenues. Also, the marginal cost and marginal revenue stream must be analyzed to determine whether or not this would increase profit.

However, at $6.00 a copy, the company would probably not make that much in profit since there is much more in the cost than just the cost of the CD and the labor of putting the music on it. There are royalty payments to the artist, the composer, all the musicians, the producer, etc. There are the contract costs associated with signing the big name artists (as well as the costs of lesser known artists that the lable may never recoup).

At any rate, the companies probably have reams of studies of market demand to help them in estimating how a change in price would affect total sales revenues.

[pepsionice]

Sony likely invested at least $100 million to get this technology...who knows what idiots soaked up the money along the way. You cannot tell me that some computer geeks in this shop didn't know this would happen. I bet the 10 to 20 folks on the inside of the development branch knew precisely what would happen and they all packed up and left after Sony paid their final paycheck. What a joke!

[stands2reason]

(they don't bead up and take as long as Bill Clinton to dry up and go away).

LOL!!!

[Catspaw]

We need a National Twin Tip Sharpie registration database.

Only for the black ones.

After an initial attempt to play the disc on a PC resulted in failure, the edge of the shiny side of the disc was blackened out with a felt tip marker.

The blue, red and green Sharpie Twin Tips are safe for now, but I tell ya, they'll have to pry my black Sharpie markers from my cold, dead hands.

[ShadowAce]

At any rate, the companies probably have reams of studies of market demand to help them in estimating how a change in price would affect total sales revenues.

As opposed to, say, actually dropping the price to see what would really happen?

[Phantom Lord]

I spent 3 hours copying a giant pile of my friends CDs last night

[Wm Bach]

The answer to all your questions is a firm, resolute, "m'hm!"

[Catspaw]

Sanford Sharpie Twin Tip Marker

The famous Sharpie permanent, waterproof marker marks on glass, metal, photos, foil, paper, and most plastics. Now it's available in a twin-tip version, offering both a fine and an ultra-fine tip in one pen. Buy the four colors individually, or as a set, in a plastic pouch.

[Skooz]

Yellow plastic thingies? Haven't seen one of those in years.

[HRC]

Are those Automatic? (Gasp!)

[DETAILER]

Has anyone ever figured out a way to copy Sony Playstation 1 video game CD's? They are not shiny, they are black. I've been told they can't be copied. I've never tried, but just wonder if it can be done? If they can't be copied obviously this is what music companies will start doing. I guess they'd havee to get licensing with Sony to do that, though. $$$$

[smith288]

its about ego my friend....defeat the music terrorists!!!!

[ContentiousObjector]

You can but you need something called a "Mod Chip" in the playstation to over-ride the copy protection, I will ask my daughter about it, she knows alot more about this than I do.

[cyberaxe]

.....the best Sony and the like can do.....

.....is get the gubment to allow them to charge royalties for blank CD's.....

.....(kinda like blank tapes).....

.....but as far as the peer to peer sharing.....

.....they are SOL and nuffins gonna change it.....