[Infowarrior] - Dell Colludes with RIAA, Disables Stereo Mix without Forewarning

[Richard Forno]

Dell Colludes with RIAA, Disables Stereo Mix without Forewarning

Posted 07/09/08 at 06:57:38 PM |  by Pulkit Chandna

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/dell_colludes_with_riaa_disables_stereo_mix_without_forewarning

Dell disables hardware functionality to appease RIAA

Details of Dell’s surreptitious collusion with RIAA (Record Industry  
Association of America) have emerged. Apparently, the computer  
manufacturer disabled the Stereo Mix/Mono Mix/Wave Out sound recording  
function in certain computers to assuage the RIAA. The hardware  
functionality is being disabled without any prior notice and one  
blogger even alleges that he was asked by Dell’s customer support  
staff to shell out $99 if he desired the stereo mix option.

Gateway and Pac Bell are the other two manufacturers to have bowed to  
the RIAA at the expense of their customers’ satisfaction and disabled  
the stereo mix feature without warning.

The trade group, which comprises leading record labels, has a very  
controversial past. Although RIAA doesn’t favor home audio recording  
and file sharing in an effort to prevent piracy, this same, ostensibly  
prudish organization was all for depriving several musicians of their  
own musical works by supporting a controversial “work made for hire”  
clause in 1999 legislation, which unfairly transferred copyrights of  
musical works to record labels.