[Infowarrior] - You are about to become DRM roadkill

[Richard Forno]

You are about to become DRM roadkill

Another DRM rant brought to you by Zune

By Charlie Demerjian: Monday 09 October 2006, 11:32

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34949

MICHAEL ROBERTSON points out a really important point about DRM in his
latest blog entry: you are at the mercy of the content mafia. He also coins
a term for this, getting zuned.

You know the history of Zune, a music player that unilaterally shafts MS's
closest partners. The funny part is that no one is questioning what they
will do to you next time a shiny thing distracts them. Well, OK, Michael
Robertson is, but that is the only one I can think of. MS has a long history
of doing this, and it has gone from being dangerous to partner with to
dangerous to buy from.

What do I mean? You read the EULA that came with all your digital music
'purchases', didn't you? You do know what they can do to you, right? What is
the worst thing that can happen? Well, look at Zune for an example. If you
trusted MS and bought music from them with their plays for sure campaign,
you are safe there, right?

Well, no, they just changed the game on you, and if you don't like it,
tough. You 'bought' things with a DRM infection, MS abandoned you and moved
on to the next shiny thing. How long will it be before the whole Plays For
Sure cabal collapses? I would guess not long.

Apple last time I checked has infected 80% or so of the music market with
their flavor or DRM, with the rest of the makers splitting the remaining
20%. Those on the short bus of consumer rights removal all depended on MS to
back them in their dance with the content mafia, which MS did, more out of
fear of Apple and Sony than anything else.

When it was clear that the one ring to rule them all strategy was not going
to do much to halt the Apple advance, MS said 'buh-bye kiddies' to their
partners and left them high and dry. Your business model just got flushed by
our whims? Sorry. No, we are not, but we have this new Zune thing that you
can't touch, it might make you feel better.

MS shafting their business partners is old news, but this is one of the more
massive screwings of their customers that I can recall since the Office 97
Word 'bug'. All the money you spent should you have been dumb enough to
'buy' that DRM infected pablum, is now pissed away.

Think about it, if Zune takes off, the non-MS and non-Apple part of the
market is dead, no question there. This means your current music won't play
on anything. If Zune falls flat, the partners are already looking for other
ways to remove the rights of users, so your music won't play on anything
either. Basically, you bought a promise, and got screwed out of greed.

This is a lose/lose situation brought to you by those twin bastions of
consumer responsibility, MS and DRM. If you 'bought' music infected music,
you got zuned. the reason for this is they made everything one sided. They
passed laws, co-opted your hardware, and made it illegal for you to exercise
your rights. If you do what you were allowed to do for the last several
hundred years, you are now a criminal.

If you want to take the music you legitimately 'bought' from MS backed
companies to play on an MS backed player, and play it on your new MS backed
players, you are SOL. If you get a program to convert your legitimately
purchased MS backed music from one player to another, both MS backed too,
you are a criminal.

Welcome to the new order. You have no rights, by design, DRM infections lock
you down, and the people who are more than happy to take your rights and
money don't give a sh*t. If you think this is bad, read the fine print on
the EULA. If you think that is bad, go read up on the CableCard infection,
they learned from the 'mistakes' of the music mafia. Be afraid. µ