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Universal Music Hit with Anti-Piracy Suit

prostoalex writes "Remember Bon Jovi trying to fight piracy with individual PIN numbers that legitimate buyers could get off the CD? DownloadCard, who claims to have invented the technology, filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group saying the music execs stole the technology and trade secrets from the company. Yahoo! Launch headline suggests that Bon Jovi album might be delayed because of the lawsuit."

15 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. So? by pla · · Score: 4, Insightful

    More IP BS, this time entirely between those that abuse such laws regularly.

    Money gets shifted around, and we, the consumers, get screwed like usual. The *only* outcome I see from this involves the album coming out late, and the lawsuit justifying yet more "cost-added" excuses on the part of the recording industry.

    I'll care more when 72 minutes of pure audio doesn't cost 50% more than 2 hours of high quality movie footage with soundtracks in three language plus bonus material, AND I can legally (and easily) store what I buy on my file server. Until then, the MPAA and RIAA can collectively "bite me".

    1. Re:So? by letxa2000 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Can we finally stop the comparison between CDs and DVDs, since it is one of the most flawed comparison that exists. A DVD is an aftermarket product of a movie. A CD has made no money when it is released and must make enough money to pay for every single thing that went into the making/marketing of the CD

      While this is a valid explanation of the relative pricing from a business standpoint, it doesn't mean squat to the consumer who has to decide how to spend $20.

      Whenever someone at some company gives me justifications or reasons why they can't give me the service I deserve or paid for my answer is quite simple: "Your internal company problems are not MY problems, they're yours. You deal with your internal problems, but in the meantime solve the problem you have right now with the consumer--me!"

      In this case, my heart bleeds for the RIAA (sarcasm), but I really don't care what their costs of business are, nor do I care if their business model is broken. As a consumer I see a $15 DVD for a movie I thought was fun when I saw it, or I see a $20 CD that might have one good song, maybe. Where do you think I'm going to spend my money?

      Fact is, the DVD vs. CD comparison is a VERY valid comparison from a consumer standpoint. The DVD vs. CD decision is one that is made probably thousands of times per day by consumers around the world. It just turns out the business model of the movie industry is more profitable than that of the RIAA. Tough luck.

  2. This is the future! by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Big companies and greedy SOBs trying to be big have wanted this patent nonsense; maybe they will regret getting what they asked for. Maybe, just maybe, when enough of these ridiculous patent fights take up so much of their time and resources, really innovative people will be able to get on with their lives, and common sense will be restored. Maybe. Someday.

  3. Re:OH THE IRONY!!! by packeteer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is what we have to do. Beat them at their own game which is very hard because they have the money to play how they want. they only thing we have is numbers and the ability to vote. Lets use em people. Quit being apathetic and write a letter and get out and VOTE, EVERY TIME you get the chance.

    --
    unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
  4. I don't get it. . . by An+Onerous+Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is this a novel technology? Sure, it's never been done by the music industry, but the commercial software folks have been providing "registration keys" for decades now.

    This just doesn't strike me as something that should be patentable. Of course, that seldom impedes the patent process.

    Bon Jovi rocks! Peace, out.

    --

    You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!

  5. Re:This gives me an idea! by quantaman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    they'll just give up. Hopefully.

    From the original article

    Retail CDs will be distributed with a unique serial number with which the purchaser can register in order to receive such exclusives as prioritized concert ticket purchases and unreleased music.

    THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT THEM TO DO!!!

    Added value for purchasing the CD is what most of the ./ community has been pushing for for months! The record companies are going to do something one way or another, with this scheme instead of taking something away they are giving something extra. If they give up on this scheme more likely than not they are going to shove some anti-piracy, anti-fair use, anti-consumer DRM technology down their throat. Even if we didn't want this scheme to work this is precisly the type of soft patent that we are trying to get rid of, the moment we start selling ourself by abusing the very flaws we are trying to get rid of in the patent system we are worse than the corporations who are doing it (at least they won't be hypocrites). No we do not want this actually good idea industry to fail. No we do not want to abuse a flawed patent system. We do not want this lawsuit to succed.

    --
    I stole this Sig
  6. So it's OK now? by halftrack · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, suddenly IP is a real thing and patent suits are great?

    It seems to me that somethimes the /. crowd get's a bit narrow sighted.

    Here are the facts:

    1. No /.ers (or just a few) listens to BonJovi (I don't) which automatically means that he's a crappy, bad sounding, commercial doll, which again means that everything he (or those who really control him) does is bad.

    2. Universal can be regarded as big and bad.

    3. DownloadCard is David fighting Goliat for the money. It's not a /.y principal suit.

    4. Universal is making an honest attempt to fight piracy without crippeling user rights. They are trying to make the CDs you purchase more like DVDs, with extra stuff BonJovi fans (not /.ers) would like.

    Belive it or not, /. is not the center of the world. Even though we dislike something/someone doesn't mean that others have to dislike it/them too.

    --
    Look a monkey!
    1. Re:So it's OK now? by DAldredge · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes. We hate them so this is OK!

  7. Support by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 4, Insightful


    In the same sense, you shouldn't support the US government's attack on Microsoft just because you don't like Microsoft.


    And by the same token, one should not withhold support from the US Government's prosecution of Microsoft just because one likes Microsoft.

    Now that we have that minor little point sewen up... mind if we remain focused on the topic at hand?
  8. Re:This gives me an idea! by garcia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    you're wrong. That's NOT what I want.

    First. There is NO WAY that I want a UNIQUE identifier linking me w/ANY purchase.

    Second. Fuck that, I don't want priority on concert tickets nor do I want unreleased music. The music is easy to find (see Sopranos season 4 ep. 1 - 4 on Kazaa or IRC).

    What I want is simple. I want CHEAP music. I want music to be like movies... I can wait several months and buy a DVD at $9.99 when it was originally $25.00. Why the fuck doesn't music drop in price like that? They come out at $12.99+ and stay that way or even GO UP.

    Sorry, but movies have the same amount of longevity as music. They should go down in price (just like everything else).

    I will CONTINUE to support free music until the "BIG ARTISTS" and the RIAA decides that what they are doing is DUMB as HELL.

    That's my worthless .02

  9. Re:This gives me an idea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    1. Learn to spell.

    2. Bullshit. Listening to free music is not theft. There are literally thousands of artists on the net who are giving away their music. Take a look at MP3.com for an obvious example of this. Take a look at official band websites for another example of this.

    3. The rest of your post rests on the false assumption that the only free music on the net is illegal music.

    4. STFU.

  10. Re:This gives me an idea! by Saeger · · Score: 3, Insightful
    you will continue to support stolen music.

    I will continue to support the fight against artificial scarcity towards business models that work. Capitalism doesn't work well when things aren't scarce... it's a kludge.

    mp3's are free ads in my book - for (overpriced) CDs, concerts (real work), merchandise, direct support, etc. The recording isn't scarce, which is why pressing CDs is liking printing money, which in turn is why the RIAA is fighting like mad to keep control of their old cashcow.

    --

    --
    Power to the Peaceful
  11. Re:This gives me an idea! by Xenographic · · Score: 2, Insightful

    > First. There is NO WAY that I want a UNIQUE identifier linking me w/ANY purchase.

    You mean, like your credit card number?

  12. Re:Rampant privacy violations possible! by Eric+Smith · · Score: 3, Insightful
    What it says is "no warrants shall issue, but upon probably cause". Not that if there's probable cause, no warrant is necessary.

    Police officers don't have the authority to issue warrants. This is a function of the courts. The Fourth Amendment requires that judges not issue warrants if there is not an oath or affirmation of probable cause.

    Presumably the way the system has gotten perverted into the state it's in is that people have said "well, getting a warrant is too much trouble, and if we have probable cause, we'll get one anyhow, so we'll just skip that step or do it later, since that is easier and faster." But the fact that it is easier and faster doesn't make it legitimate.

    A policeman's job is only easy in a police state. -- Orson Welles

  13. Re:Bad MI by Zemran · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What are you saying ? People are going to arrive in tall ships with cannons blazing and swing over with swords in their teeth to kill us? Stop all this daft clap trap. Kids copying music has been going on for decades. Most reasonable people will tape a TV programme that is on while they are out. I am sure you would. That *IS* the same thing. Big business has brought in the term "pirate" to make it sound a lot worse than it really is and the term is completely innapropriate. These kids do *NOT* steal anything. Stealing, by legal definition, involves an intention to permanently deprive the owner of the object. These kids have no such intent. It is all claptrap to make something out of nothing in an effort to make more money out of the public. If it were a geuine intent to stop copying they would target the commercial operations, which so far have been generally left alone. If they did that I would support them wholeheartedly but while they try to make out I am a criminal because I want a copy of something for the car that I have bought for my home, I support the bad guys.

    --
    I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.