dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
695
FordTractor
join:2003-03-25
Fishers, IN

FordTractor

Member

DRM and Western Digital

This week when the news broke about Western Digital's My Book World Edition external drive being limited by DRM, I sent an email protesting their actions to Western Digital. I told them that I had purchased numerous WD drives over the last 10 years for personal and professional use and was quite disappointed in their actions. Their response to me was interesting - it directly blamed the RIAA and MPAA for their actions. The response is below.
--------------------------------------------
Discussion Thread
Response (John)
12/12/2007 07:55 AM
Hi Allen,

Thank you for your reply.

I'm sorry about that. Just so you know, you have full access to all of the files on the drive using your master username and password, including the music and video files. Also, you can log on to up to five computers at the same time using you master user/pass. Only when you share the drive with third parties will the restrictions be in place. We were forced to do that by the RIAA and MPAA. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
John
Western Digital Service and Support
»support.wdc.com

HA Nut
Premium Member
join:2004-05-13
USA

HA Nut

Premium Member

It does make one wonder what "forced" means. It would be hard to believe either organization would have sued them if they had not set up the drive with DRM. After all, it's basically a hard drive that has it's own IP address...
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

1 recommendation

nonymous (banned) to FordTractor

Member

to FordTractor
A list of any drives by any manufacturer doing this needs to be started. Plus any drives phoning home etc. A drive is for storage. It may come with software to do the storage or raid etc. That is it. Any other drives I do not need to buy.
BB1984
join:2006-05-31
Australia

BB1984 to FordTractor

Member

to FordTractor
Forced?!?! Pray tell why??? Hmmm- I smell a rats' nest...

This is F'ed. And who's next on the hit-list?? Seagate??

Gonna make old drives well-worth hanging on to...

dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

1 edit

dave to FordTractor

Premium Member

to FordTractor
The 'restriction' apparently only kicks in if you use their file-sharing software. Not if you use SMB (aka Windows Networking).

But on the other hand, I guess that's the feature that distinguishes this paricular version of the device from the next cheaper version.

What this product apparently is:

1. A disk
2. An SMB server
3. Some propietary app

»www.theregister.co.uk/20 ··· ge2.html

AB57
Premium Member
join:2006-04-04
equatorial

1 edit

AB57 to FordTractor

Premium Member

to FordTractor
said by John, from WD :

. . you have full access to all of the files on the drive using your master username and password, including the music and video files. Also, you can log on to up to five computers at the same time using you master user/pass. Only when you share the drive with third parties will the restrictions be in place. . . .
So, all that's required is for a 'third party' to have a user name and password?
And so therefore, as long you keep no other personal info on the drive, or encrypt anything personal with encryption software, it's still basically open season?
Then why bother in the first place?

I knew a fellow once who kept banging his head against the wall.
I asked him why, and he said, "because it feels so good when I stop!"

*Edit- sp
astirusty
Premium Member
join:2000-12-23
Henderson, NV

astirusty to FordTractor

Premium Member

to FordTractor
said by FordTractor:

We were forced to do that by the RIAA and MPAA.
Before I buy that cop-out, WD is going to have to show me where RIAA or the MPAA had legal standing to force WD to block the file extensions in question. The fact that all those file extensions are not unique to copyrighted material tells me WD is full of it. Unfortunately, were looking at a very dangerous precedent here, the blocking of legitimate use, simply because of the possibility of illegal use.
SUMware2
Premium Member
join:2002-05-21

SUMware2

Premium Member

see this:
»Western Digital's 'crippleware': Some lessons from history