Book details of 'Darknet: Hollywood's War Against The Digital Generation'

Title	Darknet: Hollywood's War Against The Digital Generation
Author(s)	J. D. Lasica
ISBN	0471683345
Language	English
Published	April 2005
Publisher	John Wiley & Sons

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Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
The introduction defines a darknet as a collective system for sharing media files, especially those involved with the removal or circumvention of copy protection technologies. As such, it is basically what is also referred to as a file sharing or peer-to-peer (in the non-technical sense) network, and later the book says that *the* "Darknet" is the merging of all such networks. Lasica also notes other possible implications of the term Darknet, such as the fear that excessive copyright and digital rights restrictions may having a chilling effect on creativity and free speech. (Neither the consistency of capitalization nor the usage of the term darknet become any more definite as the book progresses.) Chapter one provides some stories from the world of "personal media": works created by individuals. There is not much analysis of the content, although there are lots of anecdotes and quotes. Gambits, particularly by movie producers, to extend copyright protections and restrict use, are covered in chapter two. "Release groups," discussed in chapter three, break copy protection and distribute new movies over the net. Personal media gets more coverage in chapter four. Chapters five and six review various new technologies, first for compression and transmission, then for modified usage, such as systems that automatically "G-rate" restricted movies. The point of chapter six is somewhat confused, and this turmoil is even more evident in chapter seven, where accounts of people doing "good works" with pirated material seems to be intended to raise some kind of issue with respect to copyright. (Lasica has a brief mention of a new kind of fair use which he calls "digital rights," but the topic is abandoned undefined.) Chapter eight is back to personal media (with personal broadcasting), and nine has more modified use technologies such as TiVO, ad skipping, and modified pay-per-view. Music gets special attention in chapters ten and eleven, first with collections and playlists, and then with modified use. Chapter twelve provides some historical notes on early file sharing networks. Gaming, and the trading of game "content," is discussed in chapter thirteen. And there is yet one more run at "personal media" in chapter fourteen. As can be seen by the outline, the same themes and topics tend to be repeated several times. The stories are easy to read, but the social ramifications promised in the early parts of the text do not materialize. The narratives are fun, but there is nothing here that hasn't been said before in the mass of magazine articles that have been written on the subject. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2005
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Book description:

"An indispensable primer for those who want to protect their digital rights from the dark forces of big media." -Kara Swisher, author of aol.com The first general interest book by a blogger edited collaboratively by his readers, Darknet reveals how Hollywood's fear of digital piracy is leading to escalating clashes between copyright holders and their customers, who love their TiVo digital video recorders, iPod music players, digital televisions, computers, and other cutting-edge devices. Drawing on unprecedented access to entertainment insiders, technology innovators, and digital provocateurs-including some who play on both sides of the war between digital pirates and entertainment conglomerates-the book shows how entertainment companies are threatening the fundamental freedoms of the digital age.From the Inside Flap"That was a very nice presentation," a Hollywood studio chief said to a delegation from TiVo after seeing the device in action. "Now go set yourselves on fire." What happens when the irresistible force of technological innovation meets the immovable object of big entertainment? For starters, Hollywood moguls start shooting themselves in the foot. It's easy to forget now that the big media companies were against VCRs in the '80s and CDs in the '90s. They're currently working on dumbing down your TiVo, iPod, and DVD burner. We've entered a new age of Prohibition, like in the 1920s, but with your home entertainment system at stake instead of your home bar. In both cases, the laws are so senseless and out of touch with the public that they're turning millions of us into digital outlaws. J. D. Lasica argues that many of the future gadgets we long for might already be here if we were better able to balance the needs of Hollywood and the public it supposedly serves. Darknet takes you behind the scenes and into the trenches of this widening conflict, pulling back the curtain on the Hollywood insiders, tech innovators, and wily provocateurs who lurk in the darkest corners of cyberspace. He reveals how profoundly technology has shifted the balance of power between corporate media and regular people, and how determined many media powers are to turn back the clock, lock down our devices, and curtail fair use. This insightful collection of stories introduces you to the people at the center of this epic struggle, from the earliest adopters of the digital lifestyle and pioneers of next-generation television to a host of ordinary people who use interactive technologies to enrich their own lives and others'. You'll meet the pastor who uses illegal movie clips to illustrate his sermons, the college counselor who runs his own digital radio station, the media employee who works undercover as a movie pirate, and the teenagers who reshot Raiders of the Lost Ark. You'll also meet the media executives and creative professionals who feel threatened by this wave of appropriation as well as the authorities charged with enforcing an increasingly Byzantine tangle of copyright law. Lasica warns against a future in which Internet-based media serve not the user, but the interests of Hollywood and the music industry. To discover a much richer world of personal media, participatory culture, and digital rights, start reading Darknet today—then spread the word. About the AuthorJ.D. LASICA has written articles for Legal Affairs, the Washington Post, Salon, and The Industry Standard, and he blogs at NewMediaMusings.com. He's also the founder of ourmedia.org, the global home for grassroots media. www.darknet.com