Brazil is set to adopt an American DRM system as mandatory for its national broadcast TV apparatus. This won't stop copying — most of the foreign programs are broadcast without DRM in the USA and Europe, and will end up on the same Internet that Brazilians use. But it will create a system under which Brazil's culture and technology sector are subject to a veto by a foreign DRM consortium. After Brazil adopts DRM for its TV, local technology firms won't be able to build Brazilian TV equipment (including software for PC-based viewing) without paying license fees to (and getting permission from) the HDCP consortium. At the same time, Brazilian producers will only be able to offer their programs on the terms devised by a boardroom full of foreigners from rich, developed nations.
The entertainment companies haven't been able to get DRM mandates in the developed world. The US struck down the Broadcast Flag, Europe's proposal for its own version of the Broadcast Flag infection is stalled and may just die. Hollywood can't convince governments in the developed world to rewrite their broadcast policy to line their pockets, but they've managed to capture the government of a developing nation.
The Brazilian constitution demands that TV be "free and gratuitous" — something that can't possibly be squared with a foreign-controlled DRM system that prevents saving, copying, and educational use of TV programs. Local activists are organizing — if you're in Brazil, you need to get involved now.
In spite of all these arguments, the battle is being won by the broadcasters. There are only a few Ministries in Brazil who went public against the implementation of the DRM: the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Science & Technology, among others. Nevertheless, the almighty Ministry of Communications, led by Helio Costa – a former anchorman of the largest Brazilian broadcasting company (TV Globo) – totally supports the adoption of DRM…
Proprietary and expensive, HDCP system would make set-top boxes even more expensive than the "one hundred dollars" promised by Minister Helio Costa. Some recent estimates indicate that the set-top boxes might cost up to US$ 400 – and we are talking about a country in which 1/3 of the population have per capita incomes of less than US$90. Considering that more than 90% of the households have television sets, think about a television divide between those with and without access to digital television.
(Thanks, Pedro)
