Re: [linux-minidisc] Adding a wiki section regarding the legal issues

[Michael Karcher <Michael.Karcher@fu-berlin.de>]

Am Samstag, den 04.12.2010, 17:10 +0100 schrieb Adrian Glaubitz:
> I have written a draft for this section and I also would like to publish the official
> answers from Sony USA and Sony Japan.
I don't know whether publishing the answers really is a good idea, but I
think it should be no problem.

> Legal Situation
> ---------------
> 
> Sony uses a sophisticated DRM (digital rights management) system called OpenMG
> in SonicStage and their NetMD and HiMD hardware to establish a secured and controlled
> environment for dealing with digital content. OpenMG ensures that digital content
> bought over their former online music store "Connect" or through the purchase
> and subsequent ripping of audio CDs, is protected against unauthorized copying
> and distribution. Since this content protection must also be maintained when
> copying the music onto the NetMD/HiMD hardware, both use some kind of encryption
> to transfer (NetMD) and store (HiMD) the content onto the media. This means,
> that it is not possible to transfer content to and from the devices without
> knowing these secret keys, i.e. alpha-numerical codes, from Sony which are used
> to de- and encrypt the content. We have asked Sony for their kind permission
> to disclose both these keys for NetMD and HiMD access into public so that we
> can use the keys in our open source software, but unfortunately, they did
> not grant us to do so. You can read the official statements from Sony Japan
> here and Sony USA here. Without these keys, both our NetMD as well as HiMD
> software has only limited transfer capabilities and the use of additional,
> external keyfiles which provide these necessary keys are required. We
> do not provide these.

This sounds very reasonable.

Regards,
  Michael Karcher