RIAA, take a lesson from a media neighbor... <i>Corporate Jujitsu By TODD LAPPIN and BRUCE GRIERSON New York Times Magazine Like ninjas in three-piece suits, the men and women of corporate America are learning to turn their enemies’ tactics against them. This year brought two groundbreaking displays of corporate jujitsu, each becoming legendary among cutting-edge executives. DirecTV, the satellite television provider, has long been bedeviled by video pirates – bootleggers who reprogram the ‘‘smart cards’’ installed in their satellite receivers to allow them to receive DirecTV’s unscrambled signals free. They’ve sued, they’ve prosecuted, they’ve threatened, but the pirates, who sometimes seem to enjoy the cat-and-mouse game as much as the free HBO, have always stayed one step ahead. This year, however, DirecTV tore a page out of the hackers’ own playbook. Over several months, the company used its satellite feed to transmit several small chunks of computer code to hacked DirecTV cards. The new bits of code seemed harmless at first, but in time they combined to create a powerful new program set to disable most illegally modified smart cards permanently. Last January, a few days before Super Bowl XXXV, DirecTV threw the kill switch. In an instant, thousands of bootlegged signal receivers were rendered useless. Rather than reacting with rage, many pirates saluted their opponent and conceded defeat. ‘‘My card was one that got hit, but I’m not trying to defend my actions as right – I was stealing,’’ an anonymous hacker admitted on an online message board shortly after his receiver was disabled. ‘‘Congrats to DTV for beating me at my own game.’’</i>
Took a whole month for them to get around the little Direct TV manueaver. This is old news, and pirating Direct TV is as active as ever. DaDakota
I hope this doesn't mean most people will pilfer when given the opportunity...I salute people who are "too honest"...
