Players would then be able to check the RFID chip on the disc and refuse playback if a criteria was not met, meaning if it has been copied or someone wants to playback the dvd in the wrong region. Will this help in the fight against piracy ? Not likely, is it ? The range of the RFID chip makes it impossible to track the DVD down unless your tracking device is close. (it is short range communication).

The only thing that could be working is that new players receive data from the chip and refuse to play if the data is not correct. So, this story could be a test to see how consumers would react to such chips.

What the industry is doing is to tighten the grip on those people that they need most, the people who actually buy DVDs, Blue-Ray and HD-DVD discs. Every new restriction tightens the grip a little bit more resulting in the loss of customers.

When will they understand that they can’t win this game unless they start thinking about what the consumers want.