Vista DRM: Microsoft is lobbying for DRM as a national antipiracy standard throughout the world
OKay how many out there think that those of us who are concerned with the use of Digital Rights Management and TPM are blowing smoke out our holes wastefully?
The latest news out of Russia:
Bill Gates III , richest man in the world, is not making enough money in Russia; end-result? It is reported that he has asked the Government of Russia to REQUIRE DRM to help Russia join the WTO. One of Russia’s difficulty in joining is apparently due to the high amount of Piracy for software and Media.
..” Microsoft’s Russian office did not reveal the details of Gates’ negotiations with Russian officials. A source that deals with the company said unofficially that Gates proposed Microsoft’s Digital Rights Management technology as a national standard to fight piracy at the governmental level. That system allows for complete control over the use of the digital content of Microsoft products. If the state makes Microsoft’s DRM mandatory, life will be much harder for users and sellers of illegal software. Internet content stores will have to be equipped, at a cost of about $1 million a piece, with systems that encode the media files sold according to Microsoft standards and transfer all data on the handling of that data to a central Microsoft identification center. Another component of DRM that will come with the new Vista operating system will block the files in the user’s computer that have not been licensed by Microsoft. As a result, the user will have to pay for all of those media files and for downloaded software. “
..” By introducing that technology in Russia at the governmental level, Microsoft hopes to make hundreds of millions of dollars a year. “
…” … Gates has come to meet with officials at various levels and suggest measures to fight piracy. It would be of benefit for both Russia and Microsoft to solve that problem, he thinks. …. Microsoft says that 84 percent of the software sold and used in Russia is illegal. Gates also wants to make a lot more money in Russia. The Russian office of Microsoft made $258 million last year…..if the level of piracy on the market for Microsoft operation systems and utilities were reduced from its current level of 80 percent even to 50 percent, the proceeds of that corporation’s Russian division would at least double.”
Think about it !!!! that amounts to a 1.8 Billion dollar market for Microsoft’s Products alone.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He must be really put off that he is only collecting $250 Million.
