CNET News.com: Antipiracy efforts spark battle over computer hardware

“A fight over control of computer hardware, fanned by music
trading posts such as Napster and Gnutella, is pitting free-speech
advocates against some of Silicon Valley’s largest companies.”

“Powerhouses such as Intel and IBM are taking early steps
towardbuilding antipiracy protections for music, videos and
software directly into storage drives, memory cards, chips and
other hardware parts.”

“These technologies, some of which are nearing the marketplace,
could block a song or any other digital material from being copied
or saved–potentially welcome news to record labels and movie
studios.”

“Microsoft and others are pursuing the same idea with software,
but critics say even the best of these models is likely to be
broken or stripped out by dedicated hackers. Hardware-based
protections could prove a much stronger layer of protection.”

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