Someone To Watch Over You

Chapter 5

I don't know whatever possessed me to take a 3-hour Media Law Class, but I'm grateful William has taken it with me. I don't think I would survive without him. Our professor is currently droning on about Digital Management Rights and I feel my eyes start to involuntarily close until William nudges my elbow and I'm jolted awake.

"Seriously Dude, tell Cat you need some downtime. You're worse than you were when you were stripping," he whispers to me and I shake my head and roll my eyes.

"First, I was never a stripper, only a pole dancer, and second, this has nothing to do with Cat. Could he be any more boring?" I say, gesturing to our professor.

"It's Media Law. How exciting do you expect it to be?"

"I don't know more than this. He could at least try to make it interesting."

"Mr. Bragin!"

My head shoots up. Busted.

"You care to add a few words. What's your take on DRM?"

"I think it's just a major inconvenience, is all, Professor?"

"So you believe it to be useless?"

"Perhaps not entirely. I mean, DRM helps big businesses stifle innovative ideas and serious competition from ever developing. You know if you like that kind of thing."

Several in the class laugh at my comment. One guy wearing an Anarchy T-shirt gives me a thumbs up, but my professor just stares at me with a white thin line pressed together where his lips used to be.

"We need to work on your people skills," William mumbles.

"Care to explain, Mr. Bragin? And since you believe you know so much." He waves his hand for me to take the podium and I shrug and head out of my row of seats, down the aisle, and to the front of the class.

"Look, I get why DRM exists. I think we all do. It's a sad effort but the only one we have to protect our work from Digital Piracy but all I've seen, and any of you can correct me if I'm wrong, but is that it's just a way for software companies to make you pay for backing up the software you already purchased by selling you a file, or disk if your computer crashes because you're not 'allowed'," I say with air quotes, to make your own backup."

"It's making it harder on libraries to lend out certain materials, its putting restrictions on items in the public domain and as a journalist seriously screwing with my research abilities under what they would consider fair use."

"There are many organizations that believe DRM is a tool used by big companies to reduce their competition. We have built this country on innovation and coming up with the next big idea, and they just seem to find more and more ways to stifle that inspiration rather than encourage it. Or at least that," I look over at my professor, "is my opinion."

I look back at the class and say, "I mean it's not even universally accepted, so what the point really. You know?"

To my utter amazement, the class starts clapping and William stands up, starting a movement for a standing ovation. I shake my head in wonderment, step out from behind the podium, and take a bow. When the applause died down. My deflated and defeated teacher called for our break before the second half.

In the cafeteria, several students came up to me, thanking me for my impassioned speech, saying it had saved them from the utter boredom of the class in that one moment.

"You're quite the popular fellow," William says, bringing two coffees over to our table and handing one to me.

I laugh. "I think I could have said anything up there and gotten the same reaction from the masses."