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Crippled CD Deemed Defective In France

Posted by timothy on from the aongh-haw-haw dept.

Noryungi writes "The daily newspaper Liberation reports that at least one person got her money back, by suing EMI, no less. She was able to do that with the help of the largest consumer organization in France, which has its own list of articles on this subject. So, French people who cannot read their copy-protected CDs can get their money back, but copy protection is not made illegal by the court decision... It's certainly a step in the right direction, though..." For the French-impaired, an anonymous reader adds "The Register has a good article on EMI being forced to refund the cost of a copy-protected CD, because it was found to have a 'hidden defect' -- it wouldn't work on a car's CD player ... Is the tide changing?"

17 of 388 comments (clear)

  1. Welcome ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new French overlords. I advise everyone in the viewing area to hide their toy frogs lest they risk offending or benevolent masters.

    1. Re:Welcome ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I'm liking the French more and more every day. Now, if they could only learn the wonders of air conditioning and bathing...

  2. Rimshot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    EMI surrenders to France?!

  3. Hmm by blitzoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow, I really don't blame EMI. I mean, who could have known beforehand that they wouldn't work in some extremely common devices? Come on, guys. Testing can only go so far before they have to release it into the real world. And I'm sure that for the tuesday afternoon that they DID test compatability, they were very thorough.

    --
    I am a filthy pirate.
    1. Re:Hmm by Matrix272 · · Score: 4, Funny

      And I'm sure that for the tuesday afternoon that they DID test compatability, they were very thorough.

      You give them too much credit to say Tuesday Afternoon... I would have said between 12:15pm and 1:45pm on Tuesday afternoon... with lunch in there too. And, since pirates are taking away so much money for research and development of the anti-piracy schemes, they didn't even have a CD Player to test on... so I suspect they looked at a drawing of a CD Player on a chalkboard, and if when they closed their eyes and concentrated really hard, they heard the music playing, they declared it safe to sell.

      --
      "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
    2. Re:Hmm by blitzoid · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh please, that 'piracy is bad' excuse is just pissing me off to no end.

      Look, if it weren't for filthy pirates like me constantly ripping music and software, the copyprotection industry would STAGNATE. Millions of jobs would be lost, and the economy would start to collapse. The fact is, pirates and mp3 traders are keeping the industry alive. It's anti-economy types like YOU GUYS that are causing the downfall of everything we hold dear!

      --
      I am a filthy pirate.
  4. I'm surprised... by trompete · · Score: 2, Funny

    that they got their money back, considering that most of those CDs have warning labels on them like a PC with an 'X' through it.
    I guess that if a woman can get millions of dollars for spilling hot coffee on herself, someone else can get a refund for a CD that they couldn't play in their computer.
    I hope this encourages record labels to stop making that type of CD!!

    --
    More than enough BS
    1. Re:I'm surprised... by Mikeytsi · · Score: 2, Funny

      Have you ever heard of a cupholder? You know, that thing you can stick drinks in to?

      --
      I've been called a "Fucking Dick" by better people than you.
  5. france surrenders by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    don't worry, next week the riaa will send to france a man wielding a sharp stick and german accent to sort this mess out.

  6. Viva la France! by macshune · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hey, we got the bomb now! We'll never surrender! Screw you EMI!

    1. Re:Viva la France! by Hatta · · Score: 2, Funny

      As long as you don't start catapulting livestock.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  7. Re:DEAD HORSE IS ON TEH SPOKE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    In Soviet Russia Dead Horse Beats You!

  8. Insensitive Headline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Should read:

    Differently-Abled CD Deemed Special In France

  9. Re:What's the "offensive" part? by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Funny

    Whats offensive?

    Have you ever heard any french pop music?

    It'll make you run screaming to the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  10. DORKA by tds67 · · Score: 2, Funny
    Senator Ron Wyden recently introduced the Digital Consumer Right-to-Know Act (DCRKA), a bill that would require entertainment companies to label products with copy-protections that limit consumer use.

    Contrast this with the Digital Online Right-to-Know Act (DORKA), which would let us geeks know when the RIAA is spying on our P2P activity in an attempt to limit consumer use.

  11. Who knew Mulholland Drive was protected? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    UFC is also sueing Warner for selling a copy protected Phil Collins CD in Macintosh and a Universal executive for the protection on the DVD of Mulholland Drive.

    I think the workaround for copy protection on a Mulholland Drive DVD is to watch a better movie.

  12. They're not Crippled CDs by serutan · · Score: 1, Funny

    They're "Freedom Disks".