Live Free or DRM

The DRM camp is now saying that copying is good—to a degree. The upcoming DVD release on November 20 of Live Free or Die Hard will be the first to allow digital copies to your PC and one other USB-attached device. That’s two copies for the price of one DVD. The folks at Fox are calling this a Fox Digital Copy, and plan to roll it out with future DVDs as well. The catch: any device you put it on needs to be compatible with Microsoft’s PlayforSure DRM technology. That excludes all iPods, Sony PSPs, and even Zunes.

Well, at least you can copy it to your computer (unless you have a Mac). Or unless you have one of those—what do you call them—DVD slots, which let you play the DVD without wasting time copying it over or hard drive space. Do you think the Hollywood managers at Fox realize the irony of releasing a DRMed DVD with “Live Free” in the title?