Comments on: What Does It Mean to Be Interoperable? http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/08/what_does_it_me_1.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:44:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Bruce Boyden http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/08/what_does_it_me_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-57538 Bruce Boyden Sat, 05 Aug 2006 17:57:47 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/08/what-does-it-mean-to-be-interoperable.html#comment-57538 Larry, that doesn't make any sense, common or otherwise. Interoperability just means that you can get two devices to work together. If they're using the *same* encryption and obfuscation format, then they're interoperable. I.e., if I take a CSS-encrypted DVD that plays on my Panasonic DVD player over to the Sony DVD drive on my computer, it will play. If I connect two components together using an HDCP-flavored HDMI cable, they'll work, even though made by different manufacturers and the link is encrypted. The issue I was discussing above is, assuming someone has reverse engineered, or under something like the French scheme, has been provided with a given content protection format, what obligations (if any) does that person have in designing their device in order to claim protection under an interoperability exception? If you say "none," then as I intimated I think that would completely undermine anticircumvention laws as they now stand. Larry, that doesn’t make any sense, common or otherwise. Interoperability just means that you can get two devices to work together. If they’re using the *same* encryption and obfuscation format, then they’re interoperable. I.e., if I take a CSS-encrypted DVD that plays on my Panasonic DVD player over to the Sony DVD drive on my computer, it will play. If I connect two components together using an HDCP-flavored HDMI cable, they’ll work, even though made by different manufacturers and the link is encrypted. The issue I was discussing above is, assuming someone has reverse engineered, or under something like the French scheme, has been provided with a given content protection format, what obligations (if any) does that person have in designing their device in order to claim protection under an interoperability exception? If you say “none,” then as I intimated I think that would completely undermine anticircumvention laws as they now stand.

]]> By: Larry D'anna http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/08/what_does_it_me_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-57537 Larry D'anna Sat, 05 Aug 2006 09:21:43 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/08/what-does-it-mean-to-be-interoperable.html#comment-57537 DRM reqiures media formats to be encrypted and obfuscated. Interoperability requires them to be open and documented. The two are mutually exclusive. That's not zealotry, that's basic common sense. DRM reqiures media formats to be encrypted and obfuscated. Interoperability requires them to be open and documented. The two are mutually exclusive. That’s not zealotry, that’s basic common sense.

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