The latest news is always here. Become a member and join the discussions, add our RSS feed or submit your own story and see it read by thousands of people.
DamnedIfIknow used our news submit to tell us the government of France
is thinking of loosening restrictions on a proposed digital copyright bill.
This has come about due to an outcry from politicians and consumers
demanding the lightening of the proposed restrictions. A couple things are very
important here in these amendments. One is, the new bill makes a
distinction between those who use peer to peer technologies to download for
profit and those who just add to their own music and movie collections. It's
about time! The other result of these new laws with can be read below - this is
surely to cause quite a stir!
The French bill would be at odds with many CDs and DVDs sold there that contain copy-protection management software, to digitally block efforts to copy them. If the bill becomes law, the copy-protection measures would have to be removed. Under the bill, Apple"s Music Store in France would also have to change its practices: the Journal du Dimanche says the government is looking at ensuring that all music sold on that site can be played on MP3 players other than Apple"s bestselling iPods, which is not currently the case.
If this law passes, it will really shake things up. We
have to wonder what impact this would have on iTunes over there. It would seem
that with the past track record of Apple, they would simply pull out. However,
if these type laws would somehow magically spread...there would come a day that
iTunes would have to open up it's store to all. DRM is bad enough, but there are
simply too many proprietary "solutions" and it it has really become ridiculous.
Even a simpleton can see now that these restrictions and laws were passed
around the world not to thwart piracy so much as to control the consumer, to
create a brand loyalty through these restrictive measures. Apple could let
others use their DRM if they were only concerned with piracy, what they are
concerned with is market share for the iPod. We need for all consumers and
politicians to wake up like the French did and demand that this situation be
remedied. When we buy something it should work in whatever device we wish to
own. Is that so much to ask?
Discuss this article with your fellow community members! We appreciate your valuable input, but please keep the reaction policy in mind and make sure your reaction is constructive.
There is a difference between an mp3 and the itunes AAC files. If an mp3 player has support for AAC then itunes should work with it. If not itunes should not be responsible for formating the songs, that should be the end users and/or mp3 players responsibility.
For Once, the French are doing something right. And as for your comment Jim Kiler, you must not understand. Apple, as of right now, does not license out it's format, therefore, no other mp3 player other than Apple's can play DRM AAC Files. Hopefully this law will pass and will have influence here in America.
I do agree Apple should be forced to allow other manufacturers to produce portable mp3 players that can play AAC files from itunes, I thought they were talking apple had to convert the files to mp3, which is silly since it can be done now.
Very tough topic. While I agree, and hate DRM...I can see the other side of the coin.
Think 'realistically' for a moment people.
If you were lucky enough to invent an automobile that would run on air.
If you were lucky enough to invent a battery that never lost it's power.
If you were lucky enough to invent a computer storage device that never got full.
Why should YOU be forced to give other companies your secrets so they could compete against you???
This is life, plain and simple. If you don't want to purchase an Apple iPod, then don't. But don't bitch about not being able to convert or play something that Apple INVENTED to play only on an iPod.
I agree, Richman, that the reactions have mostly been directed toward the Ipod.
However, this law is needed all over. If I buy a music CD, I can play it at home, in my car, on my PC, rip the files to MP3 and listen to it on a portable device. However, if I pay for an Itunes song, I am stuck listening to it only on an Ipod (unless I am mistaken, don't own one and don't care to). I do not know if other legal music D/L sites are like this, but I should be able to buy the songs I want then burn my own CD to listen to on the home stereo and in my car. I should not be stuck with only listening to it on my portable device and on my PC. THAT, my friends, is called fair use.
No, iTMS (which is what the article is about, not iTunes itself) delivers DRM'ed AAC files (.m4p). In addition to decoding AAC, a player would have to implement Apple's proprietary, undocumented and unlicensable FairPlay DRM system.
From what I understand you can burn 5 cd's from your drm'd itunes songs. Which then you can go back and rip to play in your mp3 player. Sure there is a small loss, but will it be noticeable in 192kb VBR mp3?
Well, if I invented an automobile that ran on air alone, I would allow people to use any air, not just the air that I sell to them. If I invented a battery the never lost its power I would allow it to be used in any device the consumer wanted to use it in. And, if I invented a computer storage device that never got full I would let people use it in any computer/game console/media player/ect. All without having to pay royalties to me, no ongoing costs, and the ability to use them as many times as they want.
If DRM were involved however, it would be quite different.
By Lauren Glenn (guest),Monday 27 August 2007 00:52
They should stop using DRM and do the iTunes Plus so that it can be used on other players. But, the government shouldn't be facist and mandate such regulations. If I were running Apple, I'd just pull my products out of France. If enough people complain about the regulation causing the inability to use their products due to government over-regulation, then eventually, it would probably be repealed.
I don't like the closed architecture that much either, but you don't see as many people defeating the iTunes DRM as you do with the more readily available WMA DRM.
Once the government starts getting involved like this, they just start sticking their heads into other businesses that they shouldn't get involved in. They mess up their own house more than they do anything else. Why spread their incompetence?
If you don't like Apple's practices, don't use their product. They have a right to do with it as they see fit. If people don't like the closed architecture of AAC DRM, then they shouldn't buy it. When no one buys it, they'll change their iTunes to do what people will buy.
Lauren
Very tough topic. While I agree, and hate DRM...I can see the other side of the coin.
Think 'realistically' for a moment people.
If you were lucky enough to invent an automobile that would run on air.
If you were lucky enough to invent a battery that never lost it's power.
If you were lucky enough to invent a computer storage device that never got full.
Why should YOU be forced to give other companies your secrets so they could compete against you???
This is life, plain and simple. If you don't want to purchase an Apple iPod, then don't. But don't bitch about not being able to convert or play something that Apple INVENTED to play only on an iPod.
Happy Birthday to you Altar 
r_saotome thank you for your reaction in the news section. 
SLOVEHEART just logged in, Good to see you back!