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Universal to Copyprotect All CDs

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the can't-say-I'm-surprised-by-this dept.

angkor wrote in with a link to a story about how Universal Plans to copyprotect all CDs which will render them unplayable on Macs, DVD Players, PS2s, and some CD Players. And it won't even stop people from ripping MP3s I bet.

5 of 887 comments (clear)

  1. *sigh* by vinnythenose · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Here they go again, making my life difficult. If the CD refuses to work in my computer or CD player, it's going back to the store.

    Maybe it's time to grow my vinyl collection again. I'm sure Cream will be in style again soon... won't they?

    Now everyone is going to bitch and complain. It's the record company's right to try to copyprotect their CDs. You don't have to buy them. Think of it like this, they're just cutting their sales down as I'm sure some Mac users will not be buying CDs, along with people that have cd players that it won't play on, etc, etc.

    Although I'm not quite sure why they're targetting Mac users, or is that just a side effect of their method of copyprotection?

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  2. Read the article yourself by Rupert · · Score: 2, Redundant

    Universal expects to be copy protecting all its CDs by the end of 2002.

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  3. Boycott by CoreDump · · Score: 1, Redundant
    Simple solution to this. Since they only seem to understand money, stop buying "protected" cd's ( I think the term "crippled" is more appropriate though ).

    I don't have a standard CD Player. I buy CD's to play in my computer to listen to while I'm at work. As manager of the Development Engineering department at national dialup/wireless ISP ( StarNet and StarNet WX ) I work long hours. I spend more time at work than I do at home, so I keep nearly my entire music collection at work. If I can no longer play my CD's on my computer then they just lost a sale.

    Of course, they'll proabably use the declining sales statistics to shout that more protection is needed as people are obviously copying the CD's somehow and hence making fewer legitimate CD purchases. Someday, they'll wake up, and realize they've been left behind by the masses. I only hope that day comes sooner, rather than later.

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  4. Re:Obvious solution to this by Alsee · · Score: 2, Redundant

    Don't buy em. Vote with your wallet.

    You can better vote with your wallet by buying these CD's .... and returning them!

    "Universal told retailers that it would honor refunds on all returned discs -- even for CDs that have been opened."

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    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  5. Microsoft extending it's monopoly? by manly_15 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    As I understand it, any files put on a CD to use in a computer would be in some sort of secure WMA format. I think the key is that that it would be Windows Media Audio. Does that mean that the included files would only work on Windows systems? Could you be forced to upgrade WMP and Windows itself just to play the extra content? Not only could this sort of thing increase the MS monopoly by shutting out Apple, Linux, etc, it could force the user to spend extra money to use something that they already own!