The Right to Read
Encyclopedia
"The Right to Read" is a short story
by Richard Stallman
, the founder of the Free Software Foundation
, which was first published in 1997 in Communications of the ACM
. It is a cautionary tale
set in the year 2047, when DRM
-like technologies are employed to restrict the readership of books: when the sharing of books and written material is a crime punishable by imprisonment.
In particular, it touches on the impact of such a system on the requirements of university students, one (Dan Halbert) of whom is forced into a dilemma in which he must decide whether to loan his computer to a fellow student (Lissa Lenz), who may or may not illegally access his purchased documents.
It is notable for being written before the use of Digital Rights Management technology was widespread (although DVD
video discs which used DRM had appeared the year before, and various proprietary software since the 1970s had made use of some form of copy protection
), and for predicting later hardware-based attempts to restrict how users could use content, such as Trusted Computing
.
In 2005, the Princeton University
bookstore (not affiliated with the university itself) announced that they planned to offer DRM controlled e-book
format textbooks, restricting reading of said books to the computer that downloaded them, and expiring after 12 months. This is identical to what Richard Stallman theorized in the story.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Richard Stallman
Richard Stallman
Richard Matthew Stallman , often shortened to rms,"'Richard Stallman' is just my mundane name; you can call me 'rms'"|last= Stallman|first= Richard|date= N.D.|work=Richard Stallman's homepage...
, the founder of the Free Software Foundation
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...
, which was first published in 1997 in Communications of the ACM
Communications of the ACM
Communications of the ACM is the flagship monthly journal of the Association for Computing Machinery . First published in 1957, CACM is sent to all ACM members, currently numbering about 80,000. The articles are intended for readers with backgrounds in all areas of computer science and information...
. It is a cautionary tale
Cautionary tale
A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore, to warn its hearer of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated: some act, location, or thing is said to be dangerous. Then, the...
set in the year 2047, when DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
-like technologies are employed to restrict the readership of books: when the sharing of books and written material is a crime punishable by imprisonment.
In particular, it touches on the impact of such a system on the requirements of university students, one (Dan Halbert) of whom is forced into a dilemma in which he must decide whether to loan his computer to a fellow student (Lissa Lenz), who may or may not illegally access his purchased documents.
It is notable for being written before the use of Digital Rights Management technology was widespread (although DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
video discs which used DRM had appeared the year before, and various proprietary software since the 1970s had made use of some form of copy protection
Copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
), and for predicting later hardware-based attempts to restrict how users could use content, such as Trusted Computing
Trusted Computing
Trusted Computing is a technology developed and promoted by the Trusted Computing Group. The term is taken from the field of trusted systems and has a specialized meaning. With Trusted Computing, the computer will consistently behave in expected ways, and those behaviors will be enforced by...
.
In 2005, the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
bookstore (not affiliated with the university itself) announced that they planned to offer DRM controlled e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
format textbooks, restricting reading of said books to the computer that downloaded them, and expiring after 12 months. This is identical to what Richard Stallman theorized in the story.