Logo of Defective by Design

Advocacy poster

Defective by Design is an anti-digital restrictions management (DRM) initiative by the Free Software Foundation. DRM technology restricts users’ ability to freely use their purchased movies, music, literature and software in ways they are accustomed to, with ordinary non-restricted media. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Digital Rights Management or Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) is an umbrella term for any of several arrangements which allows a vendor of content in electronic form to control the material and restrict its usage in various ways that can be specified by the vendor. ... The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit corporation founded in October 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement (free as in freedom), and in particular the GNU project. ...

The philosophy of Defective by Design is that DRM (Digital Rights Management sometimes called Digital Restrictions Management) is designed to be deliberately defective, to restrict the use of the product. This, they claim, cripples the future of digital freedom. The group aims to target "Big Media, unhelpful manufacturers, and DRM distributors" and to bring public awareness of the issue and increase participation in the initiative. It represents one of the first efforts of the Free Software Foundation to find common cause with mainstream social activists, and to encourage free software advocates to become socially involved. As of late 2006, the campaign was claiming over 12,000 registered members.

View on the Impact of DRM

DRM is encoded into various multimedia (including audio, video, and console games) and is intended to prevent copyright infringement by limiting or prohibiting duplication of the multimedia. DRM can prevent users from duplicating a CD or a DVD, prevent someone watching a DVD from skipping a preview, or create problems with interoperability between competing products. Although tech-savvy users are often able to find a way around DRM, this can be difficult and may require use of the analog hole. For others DRM might not only prevent them from using their media in illegal ways, but possibly also from legal use. The analog hole is a fundamental, and inevitable vulnerability in copy prevention schemes for noninteractive digital content which is intended to be played back using analog means. ...

History

Protests against DRM

Defective By Design is a joint effort by the Free Software Foundation and CivicActions, a company that develops online advocacy campaigns. The chief organizers are Gregory Heller of CivicActions, Peter T. Brown, executive director of the Free Software Foundation, and Henri Poole, a CivicActions member who is also a director of the Free Software Foundation. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Peter T. Brown is the Executive Director of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). ... Henri Poole is a political campaign technologist and founder/director of CivicActions, co-founder of the AdvoKit project, serves on the Board of the Free Software Foundation and Affero, Inc. ...

The campaign was launched in May 2006 with an anti-DRM protest at WinHEC. The protest featured Free Software Foundation (FSF) members in yellow hazmat suits "handing out pamphlets explaining that Microsoft products are — in the words of the key slogan for the campaign — 'defective by design' because of the DRM technologies included in them."^[1] The Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) is the annual conference where Microsoft sets out its hardware plans for Microsoft Windows-compatible PCs. ... The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit corporation founded in October 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement (free as in freedom), and in particular the GNU project. ... A HAZMAT suit is an overall garment worn by people to protect themselves from hazardous materials or substances. ...

Since then, the campaign has launched a number of actions with varying degrees of success. The campaign claims that its phone-in campaign against the Recording Industry Association of America and related organizations around the world resulted in thousands of calls from people questioning the industry's position on DRM. On the other hand, efforts to meet with Bono of U2, a prominent supporter of Apple's DRM-regulated iTunes, has so far met with no success. The RIAA Logo. ... The correct title of this article is . ...

DefectiveByDesign.org proclaimed October 3rd, 2006 to be a "Day Against DRM", and organised several events outside key Apple stores in the US and the UK.^[2] Again hazmat suits were worn by protesters and leaflets were handed out to the public explaining Apple's use of DRM in their iTunes music store and on their iPod media players.^[3] October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Apple Inc. ...

References

1. ^ Bruce Byfield (May 23, 2006). FSF launches anti-DRM campaign outside WinHEC 2006. NewsForge. Retrieved on 2007 April 18.
2. ^ PeterB (August 31, 2006). October 3rd Declared "Day Against DRM". defectivebydesign.org. Retrieved on 2007 April 18.
3. ^ Nate Anderson (October 3, 2006). Welcome to "Day Against DRM". Ars Technica, LLC. Retrieved on 2007 April 18.

May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ...

External links

• Defective by Design homepage
• Can you trust your computer? — essay by Richard Stallman from the FSF
• Chris Tew (January 29th 2007). Anti-DRM Group DefectiveByDesign taking some flak. Retrieved on 2006 February 6. Message board opinion piece about DefectiveByDesign.