News
CNET: iTunes auction treads murky legal ground
By Dennis Lloyd
Publisher, iLoungeGoogle+
Published: Wednesday, September 3, 2003
News Categories: iTunes
“Consumers can resell CDs purchased in a record shop, but what about digital music files downloaded from an online store?
George Hotelling wants to know. In a move that could spark a novel legal test of Internet music resale rights, the Web developer in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Tuesday night put a digital song he purchased online at Apple Computer’s iTunes Music Store up for auction on eBay. [...]
The effort has apparently resonated with online music aficionados, many of whom have expressed anger at copyright controls used by licensed Internet music services, including iTunes. With the auction set to end Sept. 9, the price on the song had gone up to $15,099 as of Wednesday evening.”
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1
how are you gonna auction a song? You could easily back up another copy. $15,000 + is lot i think everyone’s bs’ing with bids just to start something. Why not just purchase the song for yourself on itunes ... be smart
Posted by AZ on September 3, 2003 at 7:59 PM (PST)
2
Some people tries to twist and challenge anything they can. It sickens me. If you want to use iTune, you have to follow rules. If you don’t wana, stop crying and buy your own CD. Sell them, trash them, burn it, do what you want. Just stop making stupid headlines.
Posted by Bob on September 3, 2003 at 10:19 PM (PST)
3
Bob and AZ, I believe you are missing the point of this whole exercise. I, like many consumers, am both enthralled and sickened by Digital Rights Managment.
George Hotelling is not simply looking for attention. He is trying to uncover the truth behind DRM. If the auction is stopped, he has proven that a good old fashioned CD offers far more freedom (and is therefor superior) to a digitally acquired AAC iTunes file. If not, it is possible that Apple have actually finally created a fair DRM system that benefits the consumer.
Posted by Cozzie on September 3, 2003 at 10:52 PM (PST)
4
Another factor is whether Apple will actually intervene. If they do, they face being labeled unfair, and the whole element of freedom associated with the iTunes Music Store will vanish in the consumer’s view. If not, the floodgates will inevitably open with thousands of these cases, and Apple will be faced with some very angry record executives.
A very interesting scenario, to be sure. I can’t wait to see how it plays out.
Posted by Cozzie on September 3, 2003 at 10:59 PM (PST)
5
Anyone thught it could just be himself jacking up the bid under another bname just to generate more hype? I admit it’s definitely novel while it’s not as perfect as it seems, right? how could you sell something which has DRM attached to it, and how stupid would you have to be to wanting to purchase it? Thus, I’m trying to pointing out that in “real” life, no one would pay ANYTHING for it.
As a protest, it works, but as an anti-DRM movement, it doesn’t stick up very well.
Posted by thinktwice on September 3, 2003 at 11:47 PM (PST)
6
Are we sure we are having an issue here? Wasn’t there an option to de-register your computer in order to move songs to a new computer?
This could be used, then the file e-mailed to another user, then re-registered (even if this requires contacting Apple through the store).
Posted by Christopher on September 4, 2003 at 1:13 AM (PST)
7
Behold the power of Fark and Slashdot. People are having fun with the bid just like the giant cheeto and the ghost in the jar a whille back. This guy sounds ethical enough to not accept 15+G for the song - assuming the winning bidder does not back out or has created a false id to place the bid.
Now get back to work or play or whatever and dont take the auction price seriously.
Posted by gilatrout on September 4, 2003 at 8:42 AM (PST)
8
The guy’s gonna donate the money to the EFF, so if the high bid is legit, more power to him.
Posted by tetro on September 4, 2003 at 10:23 AM (PST)
9
The auction got cancelled.
Posted by Squibbles on September 4, 2003 at 11:51 AM (PST)
10
what song was it
the auction was cancelled before i could check it
Posted by Phill in Texas on September 4, 2003 at 1:22 PM (PST)
11
Ebay killed the auction. They have the right to end any auction, no problem. I agree with Bob. This whole thing is just goofy.
Posted by ray on September 6, 2003 at 9:50 AM (PST)
12
The song was “Double Dutch Bus”. In the end, he sold the song to a friend for $.50,and transferred his entire i-Tunes library as well. Apple,so far, won’t comment further.Hilarious. And really,really scary.
Posted by Christianicononev.2 on September 10, 2003 at 6:55 PM (PST)
13
The song,by the way,is one of the worst ever recorded.The version he sold was a remake.
Posted by Christianicononev.2 on September 10, 2003 at 6:57 PM (PST)