The Code

So today I have been chasing one story around the web. (insert standard someone is gay joke here) Yesterday someone hacked the HD-DVD hexadecimal unlocking code and began to spread it all over the web. And today the DMCA has spent the majority of its day serving websites and people notices to take down the code. All this has done is make more and more people jump to the cause of spreading the code posting it to sites like Digg.com or creating blogs for the sole purpose of sharing the code. I have not been able to go anywhere on the net today (other then here) without hearing about this story and getting request to help spread the code. Then tonight I came across this story: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/01/hd-dvd-key-fiasco-is-an-example-of-21st-century-digital-revolt/ talking about the whole situation and the response from the anti-DRM crowed. one of my favorite things done was this: http://www.cafepress.com/09f9 where they are selling items with the code on them. Now I am sure most if not everyone here knows my stance on the whole DRM issue to begin with. That is not why I am posting this here. I have posted this to get other opinions on how this whole situation has been handled by both sides involved. While I understand the implication the leaking of this code has on the industry. I do think that they were setting themselves up for this by implementing the code in the first place, and this is the backlash that they will receive every time they create and release a new HD-DVD lock code. I personally think the best way to deal with this would be to let it stay in the dark corners of the web where it was being spread originally. The majority of the net had no clue this code had been hacked till people started to spread the code to get ahead of the DMCA.