RIAA eat your heart out - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Nisses · 01-06-2004, 04:27 AM

http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/1073327352.html

Linky:

Belgians say "Nee" to copy-protected CDs

A fresh new year gets off to a litigious start thanks to the Belgian consumer group Test-Achats, which is filing suit against four of the Big Five record companies for including anti-piracy software on their music-holding plastic optical discs. (Hey, if Philips, the developer of the Red Book CD standard, doesn't think they're CDs, I don't see why I should either.) Test-Achats alleges in the suit (as reported by The Register) that CDs equipped with anti-piracy technology do not always play properly in non-computer CD mechanisms, such as car stereos or portable players, and that such CDs improperly restrict fair-use rights by consumers. The suit names EMI, Sony, BMG Music, and Universal Music; Warner Music Group was not included.

This is not the first time the issue of nonstandard CDs has caused a problem for consumers. Apple users may recall issues with certain copy-protected CDs failing to eject properly from flat-panel iMacs last summer, and the Register article notes a case in which a consumer sued an independent label for similar copy-protection efforts. It's likely, though, that the general public will remain largely ignorant of the battle to preserve the CD standard, at least until the next "American Idol: Classics" collection comes out in such a format and can't be ripped to their new iPod.

As the Register article also notes, U.S. Representative Rick Boucher has criticized the industry for failing to adhere to the CD standard, but Congress has as yet taken no action on the topic, and is unlikely to do so in an election year. Will U.S. consumer watchdogs follow the Belgians' lead and force the issue in court, or will the powerful lobbying efforts of the music industry prevail? We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this issue.

Well, I'm happy to live where I do

01-06-2004, 04:27 AM	#1 (permalink)
Nisses Shade Location: Belgium	RIAA eat your heart out http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/1073327352.html Linky: Belgians say "Nee" to copy-protected CDs A fresh new year gets off to a litigious start thanks to the Belgian consumer group Test-Achats, which is filing suit against four of the Big Five record companies for including anti-piracy software on their music-holding plastic optical discs. (Hey, if Philips, the developer of the Red Book CD standard, doesn't think they're CDs, I don't see why I should either.) Test-Achats alleges in the suit (as reported by The Register) that CDs equipped with anti-piracy technology do not always play properly in non-computer CD mechanisms, such as car stereos or portable players, and that such CDs improperly restrict fair-use rights by consumers. The suit names EMI, Sony, BMG Music, and Universal Music; Warner Music Group was not included. This is not the first time the issue of nonstandard CDs has caused a problem for consumers. Apple users may recall issues with certain copy-protected CDs failing to eject properly from flat-panel iMacs last summer, and the Register article notes a case in which a consumer sued an independent label for similar copy-protection efforts. It's likely, though, that the general public will remain largely ignorant of the battle to preserve the CD standard, at least until the next "American Idol: Classics" collection comes out in such a format and can't be ripped to their new iPod. As the Register article also notes, U.S. Representative Rick Boucher has criticized the industry for failing to adhere to the CD standard, but Congress has as yet taken no action on the topic, and is unlikely to do so in an election year. Will U.S. consumer watchdogs follow the Belgians' lead and force the issue in court, or will the powerful lobbying efforts of the music industry prevail? We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this issue. Well, I'm happy to live where I do __________________ Moderation should be moderately moderated.