Both yronnen andheystoopid used our news submit to tell us about this latest legal issue being debated in France.
Member heystoopid had this to
say about the situation: "Ah, interesting times are a coming, if this new French law is passed, it will have major ramifications, to any DRM"d product sold in France ranging from the humble audio CD (SACD inclusive) to the mighty Bluray movie discs. Oh well, I can foresee both the MPAA and the RIAA, along with it"s French equivalent (which is amply rewarded by optical recordable media taxes for it claimed losses) will be fighting this one with the largest budget and biggest fictitious propaganda scare stories that money can buy, all whilst twice milking the recording artists and actors to pay for this money fest, that you can be sure! (a tithe on all royalty payments due to them only) Oh well, the fun truly begins in France!"
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Such circumvention is currently illegal in much of the world. The law, which the government says is designed to boost the legal digital music market, is expected to go into effect by the French parliament"s summer recess. It is designed to adapt the country"s copyright rules to the fast changing market for online content.Currently, songs purchased from the market-leading iTunes service can only be played on iPods or Motorola"s iTunes mobile phone, and iPods are not compatible with music that uses DRM from rival companies like Microsoft. |
Let's keep an eye on this one. The main problem with DRM right now is lack of interoperability. Indeed, something should be done about it. Perhaps France will lead the way in breaking the lock on protected content, which is more about control of consumer purchases than piracy of goods. It has evolved into a means of creating an artificial brand loyalty. The iPod is an excellent device, no doubt and has earned it's audience. But, we have to think it could stand on it's own! We also have to think that iTunes is not required to make the iPod profitable at this stage of the game.
One thing that has never set well with many, is the fact that circumventing digital rights management controls, to make fair use backups of their purchases - is a crime. Now, it's gone beyond that, we have a situation where we are locked into certain players due to DRM controls. Rapid changes in technology is making DRM unacceptable and the legal systems around the world are falling dreadfully behind. You can read the story in it's entirety, at the source, by visiting this link to C|Net.
Source: C|Net
