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"We will develop technology that transcends the individual user. We will firewall Napster at the source, we will block it at your cable company, we will block it at your phone company, we will block it at your [Internet service provider]. We will firewall it at your PC."
—Remarks attributed to Sony Pictures VP Steve Heckler

FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIREWALLS?

Threatening Language And Techno-Battlements Are One Response To Napster
Are entertainment executives overstating their ability to contain online piracy?

Some public remarks by prominent figures at large media companies are marked not only by a combative stance toward consumers who trifle with copyright, but also by an apparent belief that threats such as Napster can be contained with an imperial mix of force and bluster.

First there were dire predictions from Seagram chieftain edgar bronfman',390,400);">edgar bronfman',390,400);">Edgar Bronfman and Time Warner capo richard parsons',390,400);">richard parsons',390,400);">Richard Parsons, who had the brass ones to say that the Internet itself might become a casualty of the piracy wars.

Then there were Sony Pictures Entertainment VP of Information Technology Steve Heckler's comments at a Cal State Long Beach tech conference, as quoted by student paper the Summer Forty-Niner and subsequently posted in our rumor mill. Heckler allegedly swore the music biz industry "will take whatever steps it needs to protect itself and protect its revenue streams," adding, "We will develop technology that transcends the individual user. We will firewall Napster at the source, we will block it at your cable company, we will block it at your phone company, we will block it at your [Internet service provider]. We will firewall it at your PC."

When we pestered him for a response, Napster COO Milt Olin replied, "We'd like to comment, but our attoneys have put up a firewall preventing us from doing so pending the outcome of the litigation."

While other operatives at Sony have endeavored to downplay Heckler's pronouncements, his words have been greeted with amused disbelief by digerati, who emphasize that those of Heckler's proposed tactics that are not politically unfeasible are technically impossible. More to the point, however, many tech-world observers view his speech as emblematic of a potentially disastrous business stance.

"I think it is misguided to go to war with your customers," notes music-business attorney Whitney Broussard. "In any such fight, there can be no realistic hope of a winning at the customer's expense. The result can only be win/win or lose/lose, and [Heckler] seems to be suggesting a course straight to the latter result. Given the obvious and unprecedented consumer demand, it would make a lot more sense to expend these efforts in furtherance of maximizing consumer enjoyment and charging a reasonable price for the service instead of attempting in vain to crush what has clearly become a cultural phenomenon."

Moreover, Broussard notes, the IT exec's advice for the music biz clashes somewhat with his recommendations for endeavors that are closer to home. "I find it especially ironic that later in the article Heckler suggests that content developers for the Sony PlayStation ‘don't fight it, join it.' Isn't he himself arguing that companies must adapt to the realities of an evolving marketplace instead of stubbornly fighting change?"

But what happens when the "evolving marketplace" imperils one's entire business model? Is it better to fight than switch? More to the point, can film and music bigwigs really halt the activities in question? We'll let you know as soon as we've finished downloading "Debbie Does Vancouver."