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Updated on: 27 Jan 2026, 11:35
Originally posted by shridhar786 on 01 Oct 2019, 21:34.
Last edited by Bunuel on 27 Jan 2026, 11:35, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 27 Jan 2026, 11:35, edited 2 times in total.
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The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a copy protection technology used by the motion picture and software industries in order to prevent unauthorized duplication and redistribution of copyrighted content. The system works by encoding information in such a way that it must be decrypted using various code keys in order to be played or displayed; said keys are wired into certain devices and media players directly and not made available for public use, lest a consumer extract information, such as a film or a computer game, to resell privately without the manufacturer's permission.
In early 2007, one such key surfaced on various Internet technology and digital media forums, containing the appropriate tools required to access and copy the information encoded on high-definition DVD and Blu-Ray optical video discs. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the consortium administrating AACS demanded that websites cease publishing the key or providing links to information about it, in compliance with the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Certain sites removed the information, but the Internet community at large persisted in distributing it in great numbers in the name of free speech, defiantly blanketing common channels with the very information that was meant to be suppressed.
Although defenders of the DMCA maintained that the released key, known for short as 09 F9, encouraged widespread copyright infringement, the counter-argument was aided by a fascinating loophole in the nature of the key itself, which is a 128-bit hexadecimal number. Any information encoded in binary format – condensed into a lengthy series of ones and zeroes, or bits – can, in principle, be stretched back into a very long number, meaning that to outlaw possession or propagation of a trade secret (such as an encryption key) or classified information in digital form is, in essence, to make a certain number illegal. If publishing a key for copying high-definition DVDs is an unambiguous violation of copyright law, using a 38-digit number that also happens to encode that key is much more of a gray area, and one with no real legal precedent.
While the controversy surrounding 09 F9 aired a longstanding discontent on the part of the technological community with the provisions of the DMCA, the AACS-related outcry represents more than an objection to overly stringent copyright law: a collective bristling at the notion that something as elemental as an integer can be owned, in a private and legally binding sense, by a company is the philosophical crux of the issue, and that which will make it so difficult to resolve.
In early 2007, one such key surfaced on various Internet technology and digital media forums, containing the appropriate tools required to access and copy the information encoded on high-definition DVD and Blu-Ray optical video discs. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the consortium administrating AACS demanded that websites cease publishing the key or providing links to information about it, in compliance with the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Certain sites removed the information, but the Internet community at large persisted in distributing it in great numbers in the name of free speech, defiantly blanketing common channels with the very information that was meant to be suppressed.
Although defenders of the DMCA maintained that the released key, known for short as 09 F9, encouraged widespread copyright infringement, the counter-argument was aided by a fascinating loophole in the nature of the key itself, which is a 128-bit hexadecimal number. Any information encoded in binary format – condensed into a lengthy series of ones and zeroes, or bits – can, in principle, be stretched back into a very long number, meaning that to outlaw possession or propagation of a trade secret (such as an encryption key) or classified information in digital form is, in essence, to make a certain number illegal. If publishing a key for copying high-definition DVDs is an unambiguous violation of copyright law, using a 38-digit number that also happens to encode that key is much more of a gray area, and one with no real legal precedent.
While the controversy surrounding 09 F9 aired a longstanding discontent on the part of the technological community with the provisions of the DMCA, the AACS-related outcry represents more than an objection to overly stringent copyright law: a collective bristling at the notion that something as elemental as an integer can be owned, in a private and legally binding sense, by a company is the philosophical crux of the issue, and that which will make it so difficult to resolve.
1. The author's purpose in this passage is to:
(A) expose an unanticipated flaw in a common copy protection technology.
(B) clarify an ambiguous legal and philosophical loophole in American copyright law.
(C) criticize the overly restrictive modalities that led to widespread Internet protest.
(D) opine that modern copyright law must change to accommodate new technologies.
(E) shed light on a paradoxical feature of regulating digital media distribution.
(A) expose an unanticipated flaw in a common copy protection technology.
(B) clarify an ambiguous legal and philosophical loophole in American copyright law.
(C) criticize the overly restrictive modalities that led to widespread Internet protest.
(D) opine that modern copyright law must change to accommodate new technologies.
(E) shed light on a paradoxical feature of regulating digital media distribution.
2. Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?
(A) Description of a problem followed by various proposed solutions
(B) Consideration of a philosophical issue alongside a concrete example
(C) Anecdote followed by consideration of its historical implications
(D) General legal discussion preceded by specific technical background
(E) Context of an issue and then inquiry into the details of one stance
(A) Description of a problem followed by various proposed solutions
(B) Consideration of a philosophical issue alongside a concrete example
(C) Anecdote followed by consideration of its historical implications
(D) General legal discussion preceded by specific technical background
(E) Context of an issue and then inquiry into the details of one stance
3. All of the following can be concluded from the passage except:
(A) It is in the best interest of the MPAA that the DMCA be observed.
(B) DMCA regulations are unpopular among many Internet users.
(C) The AACS encryption key copyright controversy is unprecedented.
(D) Any set of digitally encoded information is technically an integer.
(E) AACS is a relatively new copy protection standard.
(A) It is in the best interest of the MPAA that the DMCA be observed.
(B) DMCA regulations are unpopular among many Internet users.
(C) The AACS encryption key copyright controversy is unprecedented.
(D) Any set of digitally encoded information is technically an integer.
(E) AACS is a relatively new copy protection standard.
4. Which of the following would not be an example of a DMCA violation?
(A) A bootleg copy of an advance promotional copy of a music album
(B) An Internet post of a deleted scene from a special-edition DVD
(C) A duplicate of a photo-editing software program made free of charge
(D) A version of a computer game copied from a retail CD and sold to friends
(E) A home-video capture of a movie recently released in theaters
(A) A bootleg copy of an advance promotional copy of a music album
(B) An Internet post of a deleted scene from a special-edition DVD
(C) A duplicate of a photo-editing software program made free of charge
(D) A version of a computer game copied from a retail CD and sold to friends
(E) A home-video capture of a movie recently released in theaters
Source: Prep-Adviser
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04 Oct 2019, 10:32
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
1. The author's purpose in this passage is to:
A is incorrect because neither the susceptibility of the AACS code to hacking nor the idea that a number can be illegal is described as a flaw. B is tempting, but the author never actually clarifies the ambiguity, only points it out. C is not supported anywhere in the passage – all blame on the DMCA is attributed to the Internet community at large. D takes the conclusion of the passage too far – the author does express the opinion that this issue will be difficult to solve, but never says that policy change is the way to fix it. E most closely describes the overall goal of the text: to point out an interesting problem that has arisen from the ease with which information can be decoded.
2. Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?
A is obviously false; the problem is quite complex, and no solutions are proposed. C is closer to correct, but still off: "historical implications" is an awkward way to describe the concerns raised in the passage. E goes too far in suggesting that the text has an overall opinion; B is too broad, both in its description of the main issue as "philosophical" and in its use of the word "alongside" to indicate how the parts of the passage relate to one another. D may seem to reverse the order of topics in the text, but remember that "preceded by" is the opposite of "followed by".
3. All of the following can be concluded from the passage except:
B and D are directly supported by the text, in the fourth and third paragraphs respectively. A can be correctly inferred because the MPAA was one of the forces demanding the removal of the key in accordance with the DMCA. E is a bit harder to infer, but given that an AACS key enabled users to copy information from high-definition DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, both of which are recent technologies, the standard can certainly be considered relatively new. C is misleading: although the passage says there is no legal precedent dealing with illegal numbers, the author never says this controversy was the first of its kind.
4. Which of the following would not be an example of a DMCA violation?
C and D are red herrings: whether or not content is copied for profit is beside the point. The important distinction is whether it is duplicated digitally. All of the options except E involve the extraction of digital information for a use that will remain digital; on the other hand, a home video is an analog bootleg of digital media, which, although this is still copyright infringement, means the concerns of the DMCA are not technically applicable.
1. The author's purpose in this passage is to:
A is incorrect because neither the susceptibility of the AACS code to hacking nor the idea that a number can be illegal is described as a flaw. B is tempting, but the author never actually clarifies the ambiguity, only points it out. C is not supported anywhere in the passage – all blame on the DMCA is attributed to the Internet community at large. D takes the conclusion of the passage too far – the author does express the opinion that this issue will be difficult to solve, but never says that policy change is the way to fix it. E most closely describes the overall goal of the text: to point out an interesting problem that has arisen from the ease with which information can be decoded.
2. Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?
A is obviously false; the problem is quite complex, and no solutions are proposed. C is closer to correct, but still off: "historical implications" is an awkward way to describe the concerns raised in the passage. E goes too far in suggesting that the text has an overall opinion; B is too broad, both in its description of the main issue as "philosophical" and in its use of the word "alongside" to indicate how the parts of the passage relate to one another. D may seem to reverse the order of topics in the text, but remember that "preceded by" is the opposite of "followed by".
3. All of the following can be concluded from the passage except:
B and D are directly supported by the text, in the fourth and third paragraphs respectively. A can be correctly inferred because the MPAA was one of the forces demanding the removal of the key in accordance with the DMCA. E is a bit harder to infer, but given that an AACS key enabled users to copy information from high-definition DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, both of which are recent technologies, the standard can certainly be considered relatively new. C is misleading: although the passage says there is no legal precedent dealing with illegal numbers, the author never says this controversy was the first of its kind.
4. Which of the following would not be an example of a DMCA violation?
C and D are red herrings: whether or not content is copied for profit is beside the point. The important distinction is whether it is duplicated digitally. All of the options except E involve the extraction of digital information for a use that will remain digital; on the other hand, a home video is an analog bootleg of digital media, which, although this is still copyright infringement, means the concerns of the DMCA are not technically applicable.
29 Jan 2026, 10:13
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