HBO Says No TIVO for You

Apparently cable channel HBO is petitioning the FCC to prevent the recording of its on demand programming. ArsTechnica has the scoop:

HBO has joined the fray with a recent FCC filing in which it argues that its video-on-demand programming-and all "Subscription Video On Demand" services-should fall into the category of "Copy Never." In a broadcast-flagged world, that translate into consumers not being able to record on-demand broadcasts by HBO. No TiVo, no VCR, no video capturing on your PC, no nada.

Erick Schonfeld of Business 2.0 explains why this is a short-sighted move:

More than ever media needs to be fungible so that peopel can consume it whenever and wherever they wish, not just in the hour-window when it's being streamed from HBO. What if I'm about to take a trip and want to watch that Deadwood episode on the plane? Why shouldn't I be able to pay for the on-demand version from HBO while I'm finishing up some work, copy it to a DVD, and watch it later on my flight?

Is this about stopping piracy? Or is it about raising prices? ArsTechnica thinks its about the latter:

Copy protection is not about stamping out piracy. Sure, it will cut down on piracy-at least the casual file-trading that goes on. But at its heart, its about finding new ways to monetize the content. And by "monetize the content," I mean "charge you multiple times for the same thing."

Regardless of what the true motive is, the FCC response could establish an important type of precedence in the United States if not other countries as well.