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European DRM News

Posted by michael on from the restricted-music-disk dept.

burgburgburg writes "Two new fronts opening in the battles over digital rights management. First: news.com is reporting how French authorities are investigating EMI France and music retailer Fnac over anticopying technology included on CDs that allegedly renders them unplayable on some systems. The investigation began after the Bureau of Competition's antifraud unit (DDCCRF) received complaints from a consumer group known as UFC-Que Choisir. Second: BusinessWeek reports that the EC is investigating Microsoft to make sure that they don't illegally dominate the field of digital rights management. Regulators have told Microsoft and its partner Time Warner that they are looking into their plan to acquire the company ContentGuard, which makes DRM software because of concerns that it will create or strengthen Microsoft dominance of the field."

6 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Kudos to Europe by ahsile · · Score: 3, Informative

    For having the balls to stand up to the industry bigwigs.

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    1. Re:Kudos to Europe by William+Baric · · Score: 3, Informative

      Of course, european governments are incluences by corporations but the difference is most european people think the real ennemy is not their government but big corporations. So when their governments side to much with corporations they tend to vote the other way.

      Also, it you take France for example, democracy is not a two-party system. Which means a government is in fact a coalition and that is far more difficult to buy.

  2. Re:I agree with Phillips... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The ones that break the redbook standard aren't called CDs (except by retailers). Look on the case, you won't find the Compact Disc logo on it.

  3. Previous judgement by dago · · Score: 3, Informative

    I don't have time to search, but the consumer union UFC/Que Choisir previously won against record companies selling copyprotected CDs...

    I guess this is some followup to this judgment

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  4. Experience with Fnac by spaceyhackerlady · · Score: 5, Informative

    I recently bought a CD from Fnac - "Face A/Face B" by Axelle Red. It says right on it that it incorporates copy-protection technology, though it also carries the official CD logo.

    The results:

    Linux: plays.

    Windows: loads their CD player without asking, crashes system.

    Car CD player: plays.

    Portable Discman-style CD player: doesn't play. Each track plays about 9 seconds in then gets stuck in a loop skipping back a couple of seconds.

    "My name is L...Laura..."

    Sorry. Friday afternoon. A bit punchy.

    ...laura

  5. Gov't's motivation ... ? by H_Fisher · · Score: 3, Informative
    I haven't met anyone who bought a new DRM'd album (read: Velvet Revolver) and then couldn't play it in his/her home or car equipment. I've known several who tried to listen on the computer; as most of them have Autoplay turned off on principle they didn't have problems either. My only experience with an allegedly DRM'd album was Steely Dan's Everything Must Go which ripped without a hitch and made me think the whole thing was just hype.

    So how big a problem is this at this moment? On most supposedly-DRM'd albums the protection doesn't work most of the time; most of the people who want to play the CD are able to do so. Not to be a tinfoil-hat theorist, but why should the government step in now unless it's to set a precedent of some sort? i.e. "Software DRM is obviously not working, so we need hardwired anti-copying chips mandatory in all systems by 2010..."