Copy Controls: How Far Will They Go?

After the firestorm kicked off by Sony's use of rootkit cloaking technology in CDs to prevent piracy, you might think other media firms would never consider such intrusive methods. But some observers believe the controversy may just lead studios to push for anticopying measures that are hard-wired into your system. This conflict between users who want to control what goes on inside their PCs and media companies that want to protect their content is not likely to abate so long as the companies try to control CD copying, says Gartner research director Mike McGuire.

Since studios are unlikely to give up copy protection, he believes music firms may now redouble their efforts to get companies like Microsoft and Intel to build copy protection right into computers. Meanwhile, if studios persist in using technology like XCP, then PC and device makers may turn hostile toward such media firms' interests--especially if PC vendors end up fielding more support calls due to buggy copy-protection software, McGuire says.