more on Apple: Accessory To Crime?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Hiawatha Bray <watha () monitortan com>
Date: August 2, 2004 11:46:47 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net, Ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: RE: [IP] Apple: Accessory To Crime?



I'm simply making the point that Apple's fervent efforts to prevent 
other
DRM technologies from working on its iPod will suppress potential
competition among legal music sellers.  The practical effect of this is 
to
increase the appeal of illegal file swapping, because (a) there's none 
of
this pesky DRM stuff to worry about--any old MP3 will play on the iPod; 
and
(b) illegal sources will have tunes that are unavailable at iTunes but 
may
be available legally from an iTunes competitor.

Obviously Apple has a right to keep other DRMs off the iPod.  And 
obviously
people were stealing music before the iPod came along, and will keep on
doing it even if the iPod is opened up.  But that doesn't change the 
fact
that Apple's decision to follow this proprietary approach creates an
additional incentive to steal.

By the by, it also creates an incentive to buy a different brand of 
music
player, and as the iPod's competitors improve, that's just what'll 
happen.
It'll be Mac vs. PC, part 2, with the same outcome.

Hiawatha

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