Nobody but the studios seem happy about Apple’s implementation of HDCP on its recent laptops. The situation leaves people who legally purchased movies unable to play them on external displays (yeah, that means you can’t watch movies on the video projector you borrowed from the office).

A related story may reveal the extent of the problem. The MPAA is petitioning the FCC to allow it to use “selective output control” to block playback of video content in a manner similar to HDCP. SOC would disable your DVR and analog outputs, as well as some 20 million HD TVs, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

Public Knowledge has joined the fight, explaining that if the FCC grants the MPAA’s request, it would give studios unprecedented control over the consumer electronics landscape, including the ability to require people to buy expensive new equipment. Sounds unlikely? PK suggests you look at Sony’s recent actions: “Last month they announced that you can watch Hancock on VoD distributed over the Internet before it comes out on DVD. The only way to receive this content is through a Sony Internet device that connects to a special plug only available on a Sony TV. Sony is a studio and member of the MPAA.”

If anything, this appears to offer more proof of the XKCD argument: if you want digital media you can count on, pirate it.

A friend got his own cease and desist letter the other day. His ISP forwarded the notice from a copyright enforcement agency along with five pages of content intended both to stop those that know they’re sharing and help out parents (or others) who may not be aware of what all is going on with the computers attached to their cable modem.

Of course you’re a valued customer, and of course it wasn’t your fault, just stop it is the message.

It’s nothing like the major raid that shutdown a big piece of the eDonkey network this week, but it’s apparently scary enough.

bit torrent, c&d, cease and desist, copyright, copyright violation, edonkey, enforcement, filesharing, isp, letter, mpaa