Gracenote v. Roxio CDDB Suit Settled

An anonymous reader writes with this update: "As reported via the usual sources, Roxio announced today that the lawsuit (read all about it on slashdot) with gracenote has been settled. To fresh up your memory: Gracenote ('cddb') sued Roxio because they switched from cddb to freedb for identification of audio CDs. Discussion on slashdot was active, especially questioning if gracenote really owned the titles. David Hyman, Gracenote CEO, added, 'We look forward to a long and mutually successful relationship between our companies through this new license for intellectual property and current and advanced music recognition services.' End of quote. Do I need say more than 'corporate lawyers'?"

Comments

It's really insignificant.

[Agent Green]

Roxio's software sucks. The only reason I know of anyone using it is because it's bundled with nearly every CD-R drive sold. End-of-story. There are several other better applications...including my favorite, NERO burning ROM.

Give me freedb or give me death!

Re:It's really insignificant.

[MisterBlister]

Roxio, or rather Adaptec EasyCD, used to be the best general-purpose burning software by a long shot, but they gave up that crown years ago.

Now its a bloated, buggy piece of crap, easily outdone by many other burning applications.

The real kicker is that when I finally realized I never used the software anymore (EasyCD 5.0), I deinstalled it and it removed a critical driver file (that it hadn't even installed itself), bringing down my Windows 2000 system hard until I could restore said driver from the install CD. Based on looking to Usenet for answers, this isn't all that uncommon of a problem when one attempts to deinstall this piece of crap under Windows 2000 or XP.

Way to go Roxio!

CDDB in Roxio's Toast

[wevah]

In Toast Titanium 5.1, CDDB (cddb.cddb.com) is indeed the dafault CD Info Server in the preferences. However, this is freely editable to whatever you wish (freedb.freedb.org, for example). It works fine.

Looks like Roxio caved in

[Adam J. Richter]

From the Roxio press release at Yahoo:

Roxio, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROXI - news), the Digital Media Company, and Gracenote today announced the signing of a multi-year license that provides Gracenote CDDB as the exclusive CD recognition service to current and future Roxio customers

In other words, Roxio agreed to cease offering freedb service, even as an option.

Re:Forcing the use of freedb

[Zazm]

Answer: Sort of

Freedb is compatible with CDDB version 1 whilst Gracenote now uses CDDB version 2. So if your application is new enough to use CDDB 2 it won't work with Freedb.

Of course Gracenote almost certainly did this on purpose.

Fsck them.

Here is what I smell!

[ImaLamer]

Considering Roxio is moving towards the pay-for-online music market I'm guessing that the reason for the sealed settlement is because there is something we shouldn't know [yet].

Look at the big players:

* Microsoft - Why not, they aren't there yet. WindowsXP has the media player built in, and also CD burning. If you do install their CD writing software you can't use other software because of conflicts. On purpose? They also have their own music format which proves to be great at keeping songs from being copied. Trust me, I've backed up wma files I created and when my system crashed I couldn't play the restored files. [livid]
* Real - They used to charge for the player, now they are offering more and more for-pay content. This 'Real-One' software also has a built in CD burning component. Let's also bring up the fact that both players mentioned thus far use Roxio 'plug-ins'. Real needs to compete with MS so expect a internet for-pay system from them.
* Roxio - To my knowledge, the biggest recording software around. If the RIAA wants to be friends with someone, it's them. If we should be expecting a new CD Audio format soon, Roxio will likely be the only ones to let us record using it. Don't say there won't be a new CD Audio format, because there seems to be a new DVD format coming from MS. [don't forget their own for-pay systems]
* RIAA - The biggest bastards of them all! They want every penny, "all your fair use..." and of course double taxation is their favorite pastime.

So how does Gracenote fit in? Maybe there will be a new CD Audio format. That format one day may also have a user-id [.NET?] that makes you check in before you play, rip etc.

Who knows what they will cook up. They've already produced the copy-protected CD's. Buy Gracenote will likely be the center point where your CD will be cataloged. RIAA provides the artist names, Gracenote provides stats [where, when, what songs]. Gracenote also dishes out the serial number which helps the RIAA catch you when you 'donate' your music to a P2P network.

Maybe every subsequent copy made from a master disc [or master media file] will have a trailing number which keeps track of how many copies you've made.

When you pop in that CD you get a call[AIM, ICQ or MSN message]:
"Mr. Smith? You've copied that disc 47 times. Do you really need that many?"

This is Mr. Johnson... who the fsck is this?

Stay there sir, you are BUSTED!


Fall out for linux users? If we aren't required to use a DRM system by law, freedb will be sued - all non-compliant cdrecording software will go underground and don't expect to be able to play music CD's.

I know the seal is because one of the two companies are pussies but expect this system to come about. The world is absolute disarray - eXpect Problems.

No.

[schon]

Can you really call a list of artist/album/track info "Intellectual Property"?

Short Answer: No.

Long Answer: As a general rule, No - it is not possible to copyright data in a database; it is possible to copyright the format of a database, but the data in that format can not be protected by copyright.

Do a search for "Feist Publications, Inc. vs. Rural Telephone Service Co. Inc. (1991)" for more information.