Bye bye DRM

On the flip side…Mircosoft’s copy-protection technology needs to work with Apple computers. Apple’s DRM is not the only copy-protection that is limiting.

“The copyright bill, which Apple previously called “state-sponsored piracy,” could force the company to open up its iPod and iTunes copy-protection technology in order to make Apple’s song downloads and player compatible with rivals.”

Or could have iTMS leave France….

I thought that this new bill that passed had all of its bite taken out?
In the end, I’m pretty sure that it turned out better for copyright holders than consumers.

Apple must realize that even their DRM has not stopped a single thief from stealing protected music.  Instead all it does is limit honest customers’ choices of hardware.  But then again, with 70% of the market share Apple must think they can sneeze on those who don’t own ipods.

Personally I don’t understand Apple’s reluctance to open up FairPlay.  If anything, it would allow ITMS to be used with more devices, thus bringing in even more customers who currently can’t use it.  Unless of course Apple are so insecure about ipod’s sales they need to force ITMS customers to buy them in such a manner.

Apple makes money selling iPods, not selling music. You can fill in the rest.

If you built a cruise ship and the goverment told you that you had to let people on your cruise ship from another cruise line that didn’t pay you, would you let them on board without a fight?

But if a gas company that controls 70% of the world’s gas stations would not allow you to put their gas into your car unless you bought the car from them, wouldn’t you fight them?

with Fairplay open, it could lead to a host of issues with 3rd party vendor’s selling not to cosher music ( as in badly encoded / DRM’d ), as it stands now, there is just the song’s you import.

With 3rd party songs, it will be even more of a Mery-Go-Round of Vendor A saying that its not their song causing problems its the iPod, causing people to be miffed at apple, when its the 3rd Party, or the other way around. either way Causing more headache.

but ultimatly IMHO the Government has no right dictating what Apple can do with Apple’s Tech.

It should rather be Un-Limit the DRM restriction on the iPod itself instead of open up Fairplay, as if they open up fairplay, there will be software made that will take the DRM off, pretty much negating the DRM in the first place. ( Aka, iTunes songs being freely traded ).

But if there is no DRM restriction on other players, and their still loosing sales to the iPod/iTunes, obviously the DRM issue wont do anything as the other companies have no idea what their doing.

“It should rather be Un-Limit the DRM restriction on the iPod itself instead of open up Fairplay, as if they open up fairplay, there will be software made that will take the DRM off, pretty much negating the DRM in the first place. ( Aka, iTunes songs being freely traded ).”

Will it surprise you to find out that there already exists software to strip DRM from itunes-purchased music?  Aka, itunes songs can be freely traded today.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but DRM of any sort (be it FairPlay, Plays4Sure or what have you) does not stop music piracy.  All it does is place unnecessary restrictions on honest customers instead.