On WSJ Online, Fritz Attaway (Exec VP of MPAA) and Wendy Seltzer (Prof. of Law at Brooklyn & Fellow of Harvard's Berkman Center) debate DRM.

Attaway highlights the value to consumers:

Why is DRM the key to consumer choice? Because it allows content owners to tailor their offerings to what consumers want. Unless you believe in the tooth fairy, you understand that in order to make movies, which today average around $100 million in production and promotion costs for major studio releases, there must be a return. In other words, you must be able to get people to pay for the privilege of watching them. Many consumers want to own a permanent copy of movies. Others are only interested in having an opportunity to watch a movie once. DRM technology allows studios to offer copies of movies that consumers want to own, and a viewing only opportunity, usually at a much lower cost, to those who don't want a permanent copy. It is a win/win proposition for both the owner of the movie and the consumer.

Seltzer attacks the DMCA:

The DMCA stops us from innovating in technology around DRM-restricted media, by declaring those innovations to be "circumventions" if not pre-approved by the copyright holders. The DMCA thus stifles technology innovation and scientific investigation, as well as interfering with end-user activities that don't infringe copyright. Our culture and our technology opportunities are poorer for the DRM-DMCA combination.