Dan Glickman, the president of the Motion Picture Association of America (the video twin to the RIAA), says that his organization recognizes that “consumers should be able to use legitimate video material on any item in the house”.
The MPAA also wants “to make things simpler for the consumer”.
If they’re really serious, of course, Mr. Glickman would also be recommending that his members drop digital rights management from their products. But that’s not going to happen right away.
Still this is progress. Especially when combined with the announcement from EMI a couple of weeks ago about dropping DRM on their recordings.
Despite the lack of specificity, Glickman’s speech marks a step forward for the MPAA, which says it is now committed to allowing content to play on any device, from any manufacturer. Still, hearing Glickman speak with conviction about consumer rights to use material in “fair ways” and to wax eloquent about interoperability was an encouraging sign–even if he views DRM as a necessary “enabling tool” that’s not going away anytime soon.